Save the date! Liberties Festival 2013

Liberties festival (Credit: Liberties Festival archives)

The Liberties Festival line up will feature the usual beloved community events such as the Blue Rinse Ball & Talent Competition, and the Children’s Talent Competition.

According to Shirley Chance, festival personal relations officer for the creative and cultural sectors, the 2013  Liberties Festival will take place from 17 – 21 July.

It will feature guided walks, including one led by historian Pat Liddy. The festival also promises a mobile cinema, fantastic music performances, and a participative project to commemorate the 1913 Lockout.

Speaking about the upcoming event, festival director Michael Conlon said; “This year we’ve adopted the theme of The Gathering, linking it to the Government’s drive to get people back to Ireland.”

“We’ve also focused on ensuring that some festival events leave a legacy for future generations. A good example of this is the Anne Devlin creation by Dublin street artist Maser,” he added.

“For 2013, one of the campaigns we’ll be having is finding nominations for the Liberties International People of the year. We’re looking for exceptional people who hail from the Liberties and who no longer live in Ireland and have been hugely successful in their chosen field.

From the arts and business, to the public service and music, we know there are plenty out there and we want to find them.”

The Liberties Festival calls on everyone in the Liberties on 1 May, International Worker’s Day, to take a photo. It can be people living in the area, working there, visiting or simply walking through the area.

The photo can be of anything they like – a Liberties landmark, their family, something they spot on the street, a building, anything that reflects life in the Liberties today, or more specifically on 1 May.

Photos can be submitted to the festival facebook page, emailed to libertiesfestivaldublin@gmail.com or hard copies sent to Liberties Festival, SICCDA, 90 Meath Street, Dublin 8 for inclusion in an exhibition that will run throughout this year’s festival entitled One Day in the Liberties.

This follows on the success of last year’s participative project, Poems of the People, and Taking Liberties exhibition by photographer Shane McCarthy.

Further information about this year’s festival will be available on www.libertiesfestivaldublin.com in the weeks ahead.