THE Limerick Spring Festival of Politics and Ideas returns on the weekend of Friday April 17 to Sunday 19, being “truly a people powered festival, organised and managed by a team of volunteers,” according to founder Jennifer Moroney-Ward.
The Spring Fest is billed as Ireland’s “only citizen focused politics festival” and is a City of Culture product, funded through the Made in Limerick stream.
Expect 10 events in three days with national and international speakers speaking to the themes of citizenship, activism and power.
One event of note is the ‘American Revolutionary’ film premier at 69 O’Connell Street, 3pm on Saturday 18, followed by a panel discussion with Leila Doolan, Margaretta D’Arcy and Siobhán O’Donoghue of UpLift.ie. The documentary focuses on community organiser and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese American at the forefront of the black rights movement in Detroit.
“On Saturday night we welcome a number of high profile, national and internationally renowned guests to Dolans to discuss the topic of ‘Where Does Power Lie?’”, reports Jennifer Moroney-Ward.
Hosted by Limerick-born satirist and film maker Gerard Stembridge, the panel includes economist, independent commentator Philippe Legrain, writer, activist and film maker Tomas Fazi, academics Jane Suiter and Vincent Durac; managing director and European anchor of new media start up Reported.ly; Malachy Browne and Ballyhea’s bailout activist, Diarmuid O’Flynn.
Another event will comprise of protest music and has 30 musicians taking part.
Festival tickets are typically €5 and the full programme is on www.limerickspring.com
