Ireland’s Edge, the ideas and discussion strand of Other Voices, returns to Dingle for its tenth edition on the 29th and 30th of November as part of this year’s Other Voices festival. 

The theme of this year’s programme, ‘Open Channels / Bealaigh Oscailte’ centres on themes of dialogue, movement and exchange, those powerful, often ambiguous forces that shape our relationship with our world. The words ‘Channel’  in English, and ‘Bealach’ in Irish, imply connection and communication. Ireland’s Edge for the past ten years now has itself been a channel, a way through the noise and chatter; a space in which people and ideas meet up; a forum where a diversity of voices and perspectives are brought to bear on the developments that define and redefine our world every day. This tenth edition will seek to give voice to why this kind of collective discourse and exchange is so indispensable to our shared future. 

As the world becomes ever more fractured, from the level of the community, to the transnational, movement and discourse in turn have become more fraught. This year, we will ask what lessons we can take from our global, and indeed national, past and present, and what policy makers, leaders and citizens might do to keep the channels open.

With a compelling lineup of speakers, panellists and performers, drawn from the worlds of politics, media, technology and creativity in its broadest sense, Open Channels / Bealaigh Oscailte will investigate how openness, the ability to both transmit and receive, to welcome and be welcomed, to speak and to listen, is a vital resource upon which our societies depend. 

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Is cúis áthais dúinn bheith ar ais i nDaingean Uí Chúis, agus an deichiú heagrán seo de Ireland’s Edge a chur i láthair mar shnáithe idirphlé agus caidrimh ag féile Other Voices na bliana seo.

Roghnaigh muid Open Channels / Bealaigh Oscailte mar théama do chomhdháil na bliana seo. Tugann an téama seo deis agus lionsa dúinn scrúdú a chur ar fhórsaí cumhachtacha a bhfuil tionchar nach beag acu ar an dóigh a gcaithimid le chéile agus leis an saol mór atá thart orainn - caidreamh, gluaiseacht, malartú. Na focail sin féin, tá siad breá follasach agus breá débhríoch ag an am céanna. Gan fiú na focail féin ‘Channel’ i mBéarla agus “Bealach’ i nGaeilge, tugann siad le tuiscint go bhfuil nasc éigin, idir cheangal agus chaidreamh, i gceist idir dhaoine, ní scarúint ach teacht le chéile a spreagann siad. Le naoi mbliana anuas, tá Ireland’s Edge ag iarraidh bheith ina cainéal ciúin nó tearmann oscailte le haghaidh idirphlé, caidreamh, cumarsáid, idirmhalartú, agus taiscéaladh idir dhaoine, in éadan míbhinneas an challáin agus an torainn a bhíonn ag réabadh agus ag scréach thart orainn i gcónaí. Sa deichiú heagrán seo den chomhdháil, beidh béim á cur ar thábhacht agus ar leochaileacht an saghas caidrimh seo idir dhaoine, go háirithe sna laethanta suaite corraitheacha seo.

De réir mar atá creatlach an tsaoil faoi bhrú agus ag titim as a chéile, is cuma cé acu cúrsaí áitiúla nó trasnáisiúnta atá faoi chaibidil, is amhlaidh atáthar ag cur srianta agus teorannacha ar ghluaiseacht daoine agus ar shaoirse cainte. I mbliana, beimid ag cuartú leideanna agus comharthaí ón stair agus ó chúrsaí reatha mar threoracha do shaoránaigh, do lucht déanta polasaithe, agus do cheannairí le misneach agus spreagadh a thabhairt dóibh na bealaigh go léir a choiméad ar oscailt.

Beidh foireann chumasach cainteoirí, ealaíontóirí, agus smaointeoirí i láthair ó réimsí éagsúla idir pholaitíocht, na meáin, cruthaíocht ildánach, agus teicneolaíocht. Beidh a n-aird á díriú ar na dúshláin agus na bagairtí ach freisin ar an tábhacht a bhaineann le hoscailteacht agus leathanaigeantacht mar acmhainní luachmhara pobail agus sóisialta.

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Featuring: Aodh Ó’Domhnaill, CEO, Irish Fish Producers Organisation, Aoife Gallagher, Extremism researcher and author of the book Web of Lies: The Lure and Danger of Conspiracy Theories, Billy Mag Fhloinn, Folklorist, Musician and Artist, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, Christopher Kissane, Writer, Historian, Host of the Ireland’s Edge Podcast, David Kenny, Professor at the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin, Diarmaid Ferriter, Professor of Modern Irish History, UCD; Writer and Broadcaster, Didi Ronan, Founder, NATIVE, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin PhD, Broadcaster, Musician, How To Gael Podcast, Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, and the Department of Transport, Ella McSweeney, Broadcaster and Journalist, Joshua Richards, Researcher and Designer, Forensic Architecture, Kevin Bakhurst, Director General, RTÉ, Lucky Khambule, Co-Founder, the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, Olive Heffernan, Science Journalist and Author, Peadar O’Fionnáin, Green Party Local Area Representative, Corca Dhuibhne, SexyTadhg, Artist and Una Mullally, Journalist, Writer and Broadcaster.

Courtesy of our venue partner The Skellig Hotel, a specially prepared three-course lunch will be available to all Saturday attendees in the Skellig Hotel’s Coastguard Restaurant. 

This tenth edition of Ireland's Edge has been made possible thanks to the support of our event partners Reed and AIB.

Tickets for this year's Ireland's Edge are now available below.

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Join us // Bígí linn.

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