Liverpool Irish Festival (#LIF2024), the UK’s largest celebration of Irish arts and culture, returns this month with an exciting and thought-provoking programme. From Thursday 17th October to Sunday 27th October 2024, the festival promises ten unforgettable days packed with 35+ events for all ages. With a diverse line-up and the central theme of Departures, #LIF2024 will explore migrancy, displacement, and new ways of thinking while celebrating Ireland’s rich cultural heritage.
The festivities begin with a launch at the Liverpool Irish Centre, featuring performances by Sue Rynhart, Sinéad Campbell, and other special guests. To view the full programme and book tickets, visit liverpoolirishfestival.com/events.
Celebrating ‘Departures’: A unique cultural journey
This year’s theme of ‘Departures’ explores the displacement of people and the evolution of thought. From children’s activities to in-depth discussions on Irish history, this year’s festival highlights how departure shapes our world.
Festival highlights include:
- A moving event on 27th October will feature the Liverpool Irish Centre Choir singing The Ullaloo, a new song commissioned for this year’s festival.
- Several heritage tours are included this year linked to the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail. And, explore modern perspectives on An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) with the Revealing Trails exhibit.
Theatre and literature
The festival presents a rich array of theatre and literature events including:
- Manchán Magan’s Arán Agus Im/Bread and Butter – a play which compares the act of baking bread with the richness of the Irish language.
- Big Telly Productions’ Granny Jackson’s Dead – a thought-provoking play examining mortality and digital afterlives.
- Circus 250’s Am I Irish Yet? – a performance that questions the idea of Irish identity.
Children and families can also enjoy readings from the second volume of Brave Maeve, with events at Central Library on 19th October and an exhibition at St Helens Library running throughout October and November.
Baltic Creative welcomes #LIF2024 to our Shed space and Northern Lights
We’re thrilled to announce that this year, two exhibitions of the Liverpool Irish Festival programme will take place right here at Baltic Creative!
Our Shed space at the Creative Campus, 49 Jamaica Street, will be hosting a special event as part of the festival line-up. ‘Saturday Girl: Five-Years’, a powerful body of work by Casey Orr, spans thousands of portraits across various cities and shows, exploring how hair reflects identity. The exhibit was first featured during LOOK/15 and later as part of the TATE Exchange programme. The portraits, printed on impermanent blue-back paper, provoke questions about youth, identity, and the impact of COVID on our social rituals. Visitors can view the self-guided exhibit between 9am-5pm on Friday 18th – Sunday 20th or Friday 25th – Sunday 27th.
‘Saturday Girl: Five Years’
Over in our Northern Lights space you can see the exhibit, ‘Postcards from a Pilgrimage’. In May 2024, Festival Artistic Director Emma Smith and John Maguire, leader of the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail’s History Research Group, joined 15 walkers to carry a pair of bronze shoes from Strokestown to Liverpool. Their 220km pilgrimage along the National Famine Way, aimed at forging a Global Irish Famine Way, was documented through daily postcards featuring photos and messages, which are now displayed at Northern Lights. Visitors can view the self-guided exhibit on the wall opposite Ryde Café‘s as you walk towards the entrance to the Royal Standard gallery (5 Mann Street, L8 5AF). The exhibit is available to view up until the 27th October.
‘Postcards from a Pilgrimage’
Further highlights
Continuing its focus on women’s stories, the In:Visible Women strand of the festival presents two films, In Each Other’s Shelter We Survive and Stolen, both of which touch on Ireland’s care abuses. These will be screened at The Bluecoat on 2nd November and include a panel discussion featuring director Margo Harkin.
Also not to be missed is Michael ‘Muck’ Murphy’s exhibit at the Bluecoat Display Centre. Using wood from ash trees, his work comments on the environmental impact of ash tree disease. A retrospective on previous years’ In the Window exhibitions will also be on display.
LIF2024 will also highlight local artists with an evening of music and dance at the Palm House on 20th October. …and so for now adieu/Slán leat will feature the Melody Maker and George Ferguson Dance School in a performance that reflects on farewells and departure, taking inspiration from Irish Famine-era wakes.
Festival features
As the festival approaches, printed programmes will be available at venues, along with exciting new online features. Look out for GPS-triggered content on the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail and an interactive experience launching in October.
Since its founding in 2003, the Liverpool Irish Festival has grown into the UK’s largest Irish arts and culture event, bridging the gap between Liverpool and Ireland. Supported by Liverpool City Council, the Irish Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs, and Arts Council England, the ffestival has become a cornerstone of the UK’s cultural calendar. Its ongoing work on the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, keeps the memory of Irish migration and heritage alive.
Join us this October for #LIF2024 and celebrate Irish culture through arts, music, and stories that inspire reflection and connection. For more details and to plan your festival experience, visit liverpoolirishfestival.com.
