St. Patrick’s Festival has announced that the 2021 edition will be embracing its digital environment in the continued absence of real world events this March.
From March 12th to 17th, the festival will present six days and nights of programming and 100 events on St. Patrick’s Festival TV (SPF TV) under the name Dúisigh Éire! Awaken Ireland! – “a clarion call to the Irish across the world to throw off the long, dark months and rise to embrace the brighter days ahead”
There’s a lot happening across the festival for all-ages so here’s some of the topline highlights:
- Pillow Queens, Gemma Dunleavy and Adam Mohammed will perform from the Guinness Storehouse hosted by Tara Stewart.
- The Saint Patrick Show – A Musical & Visual Tale from Ancient to Modern Times features 2021 Grammy nominated Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten, Matthew Campbell from the Shamrock Tenors, soprano Mary McCabe, and other Irish artists.
- Homebeat presents Transitions hosts special electronic performances from New Jackson, Sorca McGrath, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Polytunnel and more. Transitions is a series of 30 min vignettes from five Irish electronic producers, each of whom provide a short accompanying written response to the idea of transition – so much of which has been forced upon artists in the past 12 months.
- Barróg Lá Féile Pádraig from Whelan’s with Lisa O’Neill, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta, Ye Vagabonds, Cormac Begley, Ronan O’ Snodaigh & more
- Seoda: Celtic Connections is a celebration of traditional music and cultural connections through performances from leading artists across three locations including Gruff Rhys.
- The Soundtrack to Ireland’s Future series will feature 48 live performances from upcoming Irish artists at Lost Lane including Kynsy, Hazey Haze, Jackie Beverly, Christian Cohle, Anna Mieke and more (originally recorded for Irish Music Week).
- Pomes Penyeach – an musical event featuring the poetry of James Joyce, produced by Matthew Nolan and Adrian Crowley. Featuring: Lisa Hannigan, Matthew Nolan, Sean Mac Erlaine, Cora Venus Lunny and Kevin Murphy.
- Comedy from Foil, Arms & Hog and Michael Fry.
- Stephen James Smith performs a specially-commissioned poem ‘Step by Step’.
- Performances from Kila, Moxie, Varo and more.
- The Cobblestone Sessions at The Complex
- Tadgh Byrne hosts a series on the history of Irish food.
- Teen Spirit with Bressie – a mental heath talk.
- Filmmaker and musician Myles O’Reilly performs an ambient film score live to footage of the Sheriff Street Flats spanning several decades, from the 1950s to when they were demolished in the late 1990s.
- Sea Tamagotchi by Manchán Magan.
- A celebration of the Dublin poet Pat Ingoldsby across multiple events.
- And Jump from The Golden Gate Bridge by Jennifer Walshe and Crash Ensemble is an instructional piece which directs the players to learn to skateboard and compose an imaginary path they would like to skate.
- ABAIR: A series of songs and stories, curated by MacDara Yeates and hosted by Donal Fallon is a programme of three events that explores the oral folk traditions of Ireland.
- EX by Eamonn Doyle, Niall Sweeney, David Donohoe and Kevin Barry sees the four interdisciplinary and acclaimed Irish artists create a new body of collaborative work.
See stpatricksfestival.ie for the full festival programme.
The National St. Patrick’s Festival, Dublin runs from March 12 to 17, 2021 and is made possible by the generous support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Fáilte Ireland and Dublin City Council. St. Patrick’s Festival events are supported by many partners including the Dublin Airport, Tourism Ireland, UEFA Euro 2020, Foras na Gaeilge, Guinness Storehouse, Damn Fine Print, the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 – 2030, Culture Ireland, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, RTÉ, The Irish Times, FM104, and the Irish Hotels Federation.
