We Need To Talk About Ireland

trail?blaze

1. ????to blaze a trail through (a forest, wilderness, or the like) for others

2. ????to be a pioneer in (a particular subject, technique, etc.)

The Trailblazery are an Irish arts collective that have been gathering quite the cult following. Their events are always different, mixing spoken word and music in unusual locations such as courthouses and masonic lodges. Think ?TED Talks with Soul?. They have collaborated with festivals such as Galway Arts Festival, Body & Soul, Cork Midsummer Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival in the past and now they’re coming to the masses.

We Need To Talk About Ireland is a 90 minute creative celebration and exploration of Ireland’s past, present and future taking place on St Patrick’s Night in The Round Room at Dublin’s Mansion House. Featuring inspiring TED-style talks, interspersed with music, comedy, poetry, film and a large-scale choral spectacle, it will be streamed internationally on RT? Player?from 9pm and will also be streamed on The Washington Post. Participants include Amnesty International Ireland director Colm O? Gorman, musicians Martin Hayes and Nina Hynes, journalist Justine McCarthy, comedian Eleanor Tiernan and broadcaster Dylan Haskins.

The event is open to the public and a very limited number of special tickets will go on sale on entertainment.ie. To get a feel for what The Trailblazery are about check out their Youtube channel for an illuminating primer. Meanwhile join the national debate on social media with the hashtags #Irelandtalks #pureirish

Jeanne Sutton @jeannedesutun