Electric dreams, libraries for democracy, & accidental apologies — Arts and Humanities Research Festival returns for 4th year
Posted on: 15 September 2026
Trinity College Dublin's annual Arts and Humanities Research Festival returns from 18-28 September with a programme of free talks, panel discussions, and more.
Who owns the future? How do we build trust? What is democracy made of? And where does belonging begin? This year’s events bring Trinity researchers and academics together with leading authors, broadcasters, and artists to explore these questions and more, opening up Trinity's Arts and Humanities research to members of the public.
Organised by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute, the programme will feature a range of talks, interactive panel discussions, and behind-the-scenes tours.
Highlights:
- Suspension of Disbelief (& Other Great Lost Inventions) – Australian artist, author, and founder of the satirical Institute of Backyard Studies, Mark Thomson, and Professor Chris Morash (English) embark on an exploration of invention, imagination and the things we might almost believe to be true. [Friday18th, 6pm]
- A Sorry Business: How Britain’s Accidental Apology for the Irish Famine Changed the Course of History – Professor David Kenny (Law) is joined by Professor David Kinley (Visiting Research Fellow, University of Sydney) to discuss his latest book on Tony Blair’s ‘accidental apology’ in 1997 for the Irish Famine and its extraordinary impact on peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. [Monday 21st, 5.30pm]
- A Common Language: Researching forced migration, creativity and healing – In this discussion chaired by Dr James Hanrahan (French), Dr Rachel Hoare (Trinity Centre for Forced Migration Studies) discusses how music, football and shared creative expression can open up communication where words alone fail. [Tuesday 22nd, 2pm]
- Electric Dreams: how technology helps us make live theatre – Rough Magic Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Lynne Parker, and the outgoing and incoming Rough Magic Fellows, director and theatremaker Eoghan Carrick, and writer, director and designer Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng, will discuss the role of technology in contemporary theatre-making. [Wednesday 23rd, 5pm]
- Behind the Headlines: Crisis of Confidence – The popular ‘Behind the Headlines’ series presents a discussion primarily through the Irish language on disinformation and the breakdown of trust in Irish institutions. The panel will include Máirín Ní Ghadhra (broadcaster and journalist for RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta), Mr Justice Peter Charleton (Retired Supreme Court Judge), Mary Kate Ní Artáin (Irish Language Office for AMLCT), Naoise Ó Cearúil (TD for the Kildare North Constituency) and Conor Daly (Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies) [Thursday 24th, 6pm]
- Libraries for Democracy – Launch of a new Library series exploring the role of libraries, knowledge and open dialogue featuring a keynote address by EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief Mairead McGuinness, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Trinity Librarian and College Archivist Helen Shenton, with special guests. [Friday 25th, 5pm]
- Colm Tóibín’s Testaments of Mary: An Interview with the Author – Professor David Shepherd (School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies) is joined by celebrated Irish writer, Colm Tóibín, to speak about his Booker Prize short-listed novella, The Testament of Mary, and its operatic adaptation, Testament (composed by Tarik O’Regan), which will feature in the Dublin Theatre Festival this October. [Monday 28th, 6pm]
Launching the festival programme Professor Patrick Geoghegan, Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, said: “Our Arts and Humanities Research Festival is a celebration of ideas. Over seven days, we will explore some of the biggest questions facing Europe and the wider world.
"I believe there has never been a better time to show why the Arts and Humanities matter. They encourage us to think differently, appreciate complexity and other points of view, and, perhaps most importantly, enable us to imagine a better future. That is what this Festival is all about."
More information and full programme here: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/events/trinity-arts-and-humanities-research-festival/
Media Contact:
Fiona Tyrrell | Media Relations | tyrrellf@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 3551