The inaugural MayFest, a celebration of workers’ culture, which includes plays, music events and photographic exhibitions, will take place in Liberty Hall, Dublin from 2nd May to 11th May. MayFest 2017 includes a children’s book discussion with Oscar winning writer, Emma Donoghue, the first performance in Ireland of the play the ‘Sons of Molly Maguire’, which deals with Irish coalminers fight for justice in the US of the 1860s, and an exhibition of historic photographs from the Dublin docklands. MayFest 2017 co-director, Brian Treacy, said: “Among the interesting productions in this season’s MayFest is Invisible Lives, a debut play written by Mags O’Brien for an all-woman cast, which captures the poignant emotions stirred up at a cleaners’ retirement party. “There is also ‘From the Backbone Out’, a play focusing on the life and death of trade unionist, Richard O’Carroll, one of the unsung heroes of the labour movement and the 1916 Rising. All these plays are written and largely performed by trade union activists and emphasise the struggles of working people in the past and currently.” MayFest 2017 co-director, Kevin Glackin, said: “The festival begins on 2nd May with the artist Bobby Ballagh opening the Dublin Dockworkers Preservation Society photo exhibition which catalogues decades of working life on the docks. This is followed by In Concert, an evening of tales from the Dublin Punk scene of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Actor Bryan Murray will be providing the music and the evening will include interviews with Smiley Bolger and Fran Quigley, the former manager of the famous McGonagles live music venue.” He added: “It is the eclectic line up of events which makes MayFest such an interesting addition to the cultural calendar in Dublin. All events and performances are taking place in the Liberty Hall Theatre complex. The festival is produced by the SIPTU Dublin District Council and supported by several unions.”
MayFest theatre and arts festival in Liberty Hall from 2nd to 11th May
