Event to celebrate Jim Kemmy’s contribution to the Arts in Limerick this Culture Night

Jim Kemmy Culture Night event celebrates contribution to the Arts in Limerick

A celebration of Jim Kemmy and his contribution to the Arts in Limerick as part of Culture Night this Friday, September 22

On September 22, Culture Night, friends, colleagues and members of the Labour Party in Limerick will pay tribute to Jim Kemmy’s contribution the Arts in Limerick. In addition to being a trade unionist, socialist activist and politician, Jim Kemmy had a lifelong interest in the arts and in creative writing in particular.

Following the very successful commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his death last year, a talk will be given this year for Culture night which will assess Kemmy’s contribution to the arts in Limerick.

The talk will be given by Professor Eoin Devereux of the University of Limerick. Devereux is Professor of Cultural Sociology at UL.  He is also a succcessful creative writer and the author/editor of several books.

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Prof. Devereux’s talk will focus in particular on Kemmy’s interest in creative writers suchasMichael Hogan, The Bard of Thomond, Kate O’Brien, John Francis O’Donnell and Michael Curtin. 

Kemmy’s practical support for the arts as well as his own efforts as a poet will also be examined.  True to his socialist convictions, Kemmy saw the arts and culture in terms of its capacity to such as be participatory and to reflect the experiences of ‘ordinary’ working class people. 

Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is a national moment, celebrating all that makes up the richness and diversity of Culture in Ireland today, connecting people to cultural activities locally and nationally and aims to open up pathways to ongoing engagement.

An annual, all-island public event which takes place each year on the third Friday of September, Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir celebrates culture, creativity and the arts and seeks to actively promote the belief that this rich and varied culture is alive, treasured and nurtured in people’s lives, today and every day.

The talk is entitled ‘Brick upon Brick, Stone Upon Stone: Jim Kemmy and the Cultural Life of Limerick City’ and will take place in the Council Chamber Limerick City and County Council at 6pm on September 22, 2023.

Find out more about Culture Night here.
Read more about this year’s Culture Night here.