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Limerick Spring Festival 2020 promises to spark debate and conversation

Limerick Spring Festival 2020 will take place from Thursday, February 27 until Saturday, February 29.

Limerick Spring Festival 2020 promises to spark debate and conversation

Limerick Spring 2020 Festival of Politics and Ideas returns for the seventh year since its launch, taking place on Thursday, February 27 until Saturday, February 29, 2020. This festival opens the floor to the citizens of Limerick and beyond, to meet, discuss and inspire each other into action beyond election term times. With this year’s theme being ‘Home is where the heart is’, there will be specific focus on the housing crisis and global climate change.

The Limerick Spring Festival of Politics and Ideas began in 2014, aiming to provide an outlet for projects, ideas, and citizens that are leading the way in making changes to share and expand. This voluntary and non-profit festival has evolved since 2014 as a dynamic, responsive and inclusive political festival that is now a regular feature on Limerick’s social, political and artistic calendar.


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This year there is a plethora of diverse guests invited to speak at and take part in the various events taking place during the three-day festival, including Eoin O’Broin, TD & Sinn Fein spokesperson on Housing, Ann Cronin from Novas, John Moran, Chair of the Land Development Agency and comedian Paddy Cullivan to name a few, there is guaranteed to be lively discussion and solution finding of both local and global level political issues.

Jennifer Moroney Ward, Limerick Spring Festival Coordinator, said, “We are delighted to return with a focused programme of events in 2020. The theme is home is where the heart is and we are looking at the housing crisis locally and globally but also at the climate crisis on our shared home, planet earth.”

Limerick Spring 2020 Festival will involve free and low-cost events that will take place in various locations across the city, spanning education, community cafés, comedy, theatre, and music. 

Highlights include:

Thursday, February 27

12 pm – 3 pm: LULITMI; A Marketplace for Democracy

Taking place in the University of Limerick’s Foundation Building, students from UL, LIT and MIC Limerick will showcase their ideas on how they would manage the nation’s contemporary society while being challenged by a panel of ‘wise-elders’.

8 pm: Paddy Cullivan presents The 10 Dark Secrets of 1798

A display of song, imagery, and storytelling which allows attendees to experience the incredible story of the Irish 1798 Rebellion, at the Belltable Theatre.

Friday, February 28

3 pm – 5 pm: Have you no homes to go to? Public Workshop on Housing

A public participatory workshop at Ormston House, open to the citizens of Limerick to discuss and explore the issue of housing in Ireland.

7 pm – 8.30 pm: Our House: Panel Talk

A panel discussion on the housing crisis in Ireland, taking place at Shannon Rowing Club, Sarsfield Bridge. Including Anne Cronin, Head of Services at Novas, John Moran, Chairman of the Land Development Agency, Eoin Ó Broin, housing spokesperson for Sinn Féin, and more to be announced. 

Saturday, February 29

2 pm – 4 pm: Climate Café

This event at Ormston House will allow citizens to meet and chat with scientists and local experts on specific aspects of climate change research and environmental sustainability.

6 pm: Alan Kinsella’s Election Ephemera Exhibition

See the story of Irish politics at Ormston House, as told through Alan Kinsella’s compilation of over 50,000 artefacts of election literature.

9.30 pm: Music Night: Closing Party

The festival finishes up with The Limerick Fling, the closing party, with Tom Prendergast returning behind the decks. The venue is to be confirmed.

Speaking about the festival’s programme, Jennifer Moroney Ward, festival coordinator, said, “There are lots of low cost, free and participatory events as well as partner events with The Belltable, Ormston House and UL Department of Politics and Public Administration, so we hope to see faces old and new returning to the Limerick Spring this year.”

For further inquiries, contact [email protected].

For further information on the programme and booking details, click here.

For past stories on the Limerick Spring Festival, click here.

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.