St Patrick’s Festival is understandably going to be a little different this year, but that’s not to say the team behind the festival hasn’t created an amazing, world-class programme of events for us all to enjoy, at home here in Ireland and for our Irish family across the globe.
'Dúisigh Éire! Awaken Ireland!' is this year’s theme, a clarion call to the Irish across the world to throw off the long, dark months and rise to embrace the brighter days ahead. It promises to be a positive and uplifting celebration of our incredible people, our beautiful island, our community bonds, our young people, artists, creators and makers and our diaspora across the world.
Little Adam Weldon (3) from Dublin getting ready for the RTESPF virtual parade on 17 March 2021.
For this year’s online festival, a rich and dynamic series of events have been safely created and recorded by hundreds of artists, musicians, performers, makers, creators, arts and live events workers and community organisations across Ireland. These events will run on St Patrick’s Festival TV (SPF TV), a dedicated online TV channel onstpatricksfestival.ie, which launches on March 12 and will run over six days and nights. It will be accessible globally, connecting our family of 80m through music, theatre, art, performance, poetry, storytelling, traditional arts, virtual tours, food, culture and much more. As well as SPF TV, people will also have the chance to view the festival on RTÉ’s dedicated culture website rte.ie/culture and across Ireland on Oireachtas TV, which can be found on all TV provider platforms.
One of the most interesting strands to this year’s festival is the Living Ireland one - a reflection of Ireland now, how we live and love, work and play, make, create, remember and celebrate. There are a myriad of events to enjoy, but we’ve pulled out a few that we’re really looking forward to.
Join beloved broadcaster Marian Richardson for Comhrá le Marian Richardson, a series of lunchtime chats with some of the country’s best minds from the beautiful surrounds of the National Gallery of Ireland. Over the course of the festival, enjoy conversations with actress and political activist Sabina Higgins, the Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss, chef Cúán Greene, who has trained in many kitchens around Europe including over four years at Noma Copenhagen, lecturer, barrister and campaigner for Magdalene Laundries survivors Dr Maeve O’Rourke and award-winning writer of psychological suspense novels, Liz Nugent.
Chef and Food Studies graduate Tadgh Byrne promises some epicurean treats with his A History of Irish Food five part mini-series. Showcasing Ireland’s culinary history from prehistoric times to the present day, A History of Irish Food centres around the Irish diet, with Tadgh visiting some iconic historic locations around Ireland, chatting with a range of guests from historians and food scientists to foragers, chefs and farmers, while sampling plenty of delicious food along the way. From prehistoric to Christian Ireland, British Rule to independence, the present and the future, Tadgh will take us on a tasty journey, looking at wild food, dairy produce, potatoes and meat, how we went from bacon and cabbage to paninis, while also looking at modern Irish cuisine and what the future has in store for our tastebuds.
If you’re a history buff, or even just enjoy a passing interest, be sure to check out The Military Archives: History and Virtual Tour, the official place of deposit for the archival records of the Irish Defence Forces, the Department of Defence and the Army Pensions Board. Among its records are the some of the most important documentary evidence relating to the struggle for Irish independence, including the Military Service Pensions Collection, the Bureau of Military History, and the Collins Papers. For St Patrick’s Festival, Commandant Daniel Ayiotis, the Officer-in-Charge of the Military Archives, will introduce the history of the barracks and the Archives, and bring the audience on a virtual tour of this state-of-the -art archival repository.
The Military Archives.
Fans of broadcast and radio should check out A Treasury of Irish Voices with Brendan Balfe, which features a collection of historic recordings of our writers, poets, performers and public figures that capture the soul and spirit of Ireland. Hosted by Dave Fanning, this show sees broadcaster and historian Brendan Balfe introduce a mix of fascinating recordings that range from the serious to the witty, the charming to the unfamiliar. Listen out for the voices of W.B Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, famed opera singer Margaret Burke Sheridan, and more recent voices like the always hilarious and much missed Maureen Potter, Gay Byrne, U2 and more.
Cloughjordan Community Farm.
For those with an interest in sustainability, watch Native Events: Creating a Culture of Sustainability - Tales of Ireland Present events. Episode two features a virtual visit to Cloughjordan Community Farm on the Tipperary-Offaly border. This virtual visit gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a fantastic initiative on a journey to a low carbon community that is modeling how we all might eat in the future and to see what’s possible, right now in the present, when a community comes together to improve food security and live in a more sustainable, holistic way.
St Patrick’s Festival 2021 has something for all ages, interests and tastes. From stunning music performances recorded across our beautiful country to the #RTÉVirtualParade with St Patrick’s Festival on March 17, to mindfulness, meditation and yoga sessions with Michael Ryan, teacher to the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins. Whatever your interest, be sure to round things off with Barróg Lá Féile Phádraig, a huge St Patrick’s Night trad set to bring six great virtual days and nights to a spectacular close. Titled The Patrick’s Day Hug and pre-recorded at the legendary Whelan’s venue in Dublin, enjoy performances from Lisa O’Neill, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, Seamus and Ronan Ó Flatharta, Diarmuid and Brian Mac Gloin, Cormac Begley, Ronan O’ Snodaigh and Myles O' Reilly, Doireann and Siún Glackin and Mohammad Syfkhan.
See stpatricksfestival.ie for the full festival programme and keep an eye out for more additions in the coming weeks. Oireachtas TV is available throughout Ireland on Saorview Channel 22, Virgin Media Channel 207, Sky Channel 517, eir Vision Channel 504, and Vodafone Channels 201, 207 and 208.
St Patrick’s Festival is understandably going to be a little different this year, but that’s not to say the team behind the festival hasn’t created an amazing, world-class programme of events for us all to enjoy, at home here in Ireland and for our Irish family across the globe.
'Dúisigh Éire! Awaken Ireland!' is this year’s theme, a clarion call to the Irish across the world to throw off the long, dark months and rise to embrace the brighter days ahead. It promises to be a positive and uplifting celebration of our incredible people, our beautiful island, our community bonds, our young people, artists, creators and makers and our diaspora across the world.
Little Adam Weldon (3) from Dublin getting ready for the RTESPF virtual parade on 17 March 2021.
For this year’s online festival, a rich and dynamic series of events have been safely created and recorded by hundreds of artists, musicians, performers, makers, creators, arts and live events workers and community organisations across Ireland. These events will run on St Patrick’s Festival TV (SPF TV), a dedicated online TV channel onstpatricksfestival.ie, which launches on March 12 and will run over six days and nights. It will be accessible globally, connecting our family of 80m through music, theatre, art, performance, poetry, storytelling, traditional arts, virtual tours, food, culture and much more. As well as SPF TV, people will also have the chance to view the festival on RTÉ’s dedicated culture website rte.ie/culture and across Ireland on Oireachtas TV, which can be found on all TV provider platforms.
One of the most interesting strands to this year’s festival is the Living Ireland one - a reflection of Ireland now, how we live and love, work and play, make, create, remember and celebrate. There are a myriad of events to enjoy, but we’ve pulled out a few that we’re really looking forward to.
Join beloved broadcaster Marian Richardson for Comhrá le Marian Richardson, a series of lunchtime chats with some of the country’s best minds from the beautiful surrounds of the National Gallery of Ireland. Over the course of the festival, enjoy conversations with actress and political activist Sabina Higgins, the Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss, chef Cúán Greene, who has trained in many kitchens around Europe including over four years at Noma Copenhagen, lecturer, barrister and campaigner for Magdalene Laundries survivors Dr Maeve O’Rourke and award-winning writer of psychological suspense novels, Liz Nugent.
Chef and Food Studies graduate Tadgh Byrne promises some epicurean treats with his A History of Irish Food five part mini-series. Showcasing Ireland’s culinary history from prehistoric times to the present day, A History of Irish Food centres around the Irish diet, with Tadgh visiting some iconic historic locations around Ireland, chatting with a range of guests from historians and food scientists to foragers, chefs and farmers, while sampling plenty of delicious food along the way. From prehistoric to Christian Ireland, British Rule to independence, the present and the future, Tadgh will take us on a tasty journey, looking at wild food, dairy produce, potatoes and meat, how we went from bacon and cabbage to paninis, while also looking at modern Irish cuisine and what the future has in store for our tastebuds.
If you’re a history buff, or even just enjoy a passing interest, be sure to check out The Military Archives: History and Virtual Tour, the official place of deposit for the archival records of the Irish Defence Forces, the Department of Defence and the Army Pensions Board. Among its records are the some of the most important documentary evidence relating to the struggle for Irish independence, including the Military Service Pensions Collection, the Bureau of Military History, and the Collins Papers. For St Patrick’s Festival, Commandant Daniel Ayiotis, the Officer-in-Charge of the Military Archives, will introduce the history of the barracks and the Archives, and bring the audience on a virtual tour of this state-of-the -art archival repository.
The Military Archives.
Fans of broadcast and radio should check out A Treasury of Irish Voices with Brendan Balfe, which features a collection of historic recordings of our writers, poets, performers and public figures that capture the soul and spirit of Ireland. Hosted by Dave Fanning, this show sees broadcaster and historian Brendan Balfe introduce a mix of fascinating recordings that range from the serious to the witty, the charming to the unfamiliar. Listen out for the voices of W.B Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, famed opera singer Margaret Burke Sheridan, and more recent voices like the always hilarious and much missed Maureen Potter, Gay Byrne, U2 and more.
Cloughjordan Community Farm.
For those with an interest in sustainability, watch Native Events: Creating a Culture of Sustainability - Tales of Ireland Present events. Episode two features a virtual visit to Cloughjordan Community Farm on the Tipperary-Offaly border. This virtual visit gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a fantastic initiative on a journey to a low carbon community that is modeling how we all might eat in the future and to see what’s possible, right now in the present, when a community comes together to improve food security and live in a more sustainable, holistic way.
St Patrick’s Festival 2021 has something for all ages, interests and tastes. From stunning music performances recorded across our beautiful country to the #RTÉVirtualParade with St Patrick’s Festival on March 17, to mindfulness, meditation and yoga sessions with Michael Ryan, teacher to the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins. Whatever your interest, be sure to round things off with Barróg Lá Féile Phádraig, a huge St Patrick’s Night trad set to bring six great virtual days and nights to a spectacular close. Titled The Patrick’s Day Hug and pre-recorded at the legendary Whelan’s venue in Dublin, enjoy performances from Lisa O’Neill, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, Seamus and Ronan Ó Flatharta, Diarmuid and Brian Mac Gloin, Cormac Begley, Ronan O’ Snodaigh and Myles O' Reilly, Doireann and Siún Glackin and Mohammad Syfkhan.
See stpatricksfestival.ie for the full festival programme and keep an eye out for more additions in the coming weeks. Oireachtas TV is available throughout Ireland on Saorview Channel 22, Virgin Media Channel 207, Sky Channel 517, eir Vision Channel 504, and Vodafone Channels 201, 207 and 208.
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