Wednesday 23 May 2012

A feast of history awaits in Carlow

A new and exciting entrant to the island's line up of summer festivals is the History Festival of Ireland, which will kick off on Saturday 9 June at Lisnavagh House, Rathvilly, Co Carlow.

The title says it all: expect plenty of discussion about history, what we've learned from it and what we haven't.

Curated by author and historian Turtle Bunbury, the History Festival of Ireland 'aspires to educate and to be a bit of fun, to resolve and to confound, to question and to explore.'

The programme sees a line up of academics, authors, politicians, and a host of broadcasters and journalists, including Catriona Crowe (National Archives), Senator David Norris, Myles Dungan (The History Show, RTÉ Radio One), Fiona Fitzsimon (Eneclann) and Tommy Graham (HistoryIreland).

The festival website describes the two-day event as 'a veritable feast of high-octane historical banter, embracing topics from the impact of Brian Boru’s victory at Clontarf a thousand years ago to the treatment of Irish soldiers who served in the British Army after the Second World War. We will look at the heroes and villains of our past, and muse upon ways in which we can make history relevant in the future. We will explore the historical legacies of Catholicism and Empire, of Slavery and Sport, of War and Peace. And we hope to send you home again feeling a little wiser for your visit.'

Admission to the Festival Marquee is €10 per day, and the Library Talks are an additional €10 per event.