Festival Unwrapped: Half-Way Point!

Half-way Point: Festival Updates We hope you’re enjoying the festival! If you haven’t been to any events yet or you just want some more, read on for some of our recommendations. _______________________   Coalesce- A Retrospective   To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the First Fortnight Festival, First Fortnight and Presentation Arts Centre will be hosting a unique retrospective (online) exhibition, Coalesce, featuring the work of internationally renowned artists; Shane Keeling, Solus, ADW, Morgan, Emma Sheridan, Glenn Gibson, Nicola Anthony, Maser, Padraig Nolan, Agnieszka Bloch and Sinead McDonald. The eleven invited artists have previously contributed to the First Fortnight Festival on separate occasions and are now gathered together under one roof. The exhibition launches Saturday 9th January at 7pm via Zoom. Presented in partnership with Presentation Arts Centre.   Click here to book for launch  _______________________ Book Club: Republic Of Shame And Don’t Touch My Hair   Join us on January 9th at 1pm to discuss two of the most important, influential and compelling non-fiction books by Irish authors in recent years “Republic Of Shame” by Caelainn Hogan and “Don’t Touch My Hair” by Emma Dabiri. A stimulating discussion on Ireland’s historical management of shame, cultural identity and race, opening up the discussion to the floor afterwards. Hosted by musician and writer Jess Kav, the conversation is sure to be profound and stimulating, with the intent to end on some affirmations as we move forward into a place of acceptance and social change in 2021. Presented in partnership with Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.   Click here to register for the Book Club _______________________   Therapy Sessions- Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway Join acclaimed spoken word poet Stephen James Smith as he MC’s his specially curated 4-corner tour of Ireland, featuring some of Ireland’s most exciting musical and spoken word talent. A flagship First Fortnight (and regular sell-out) event, Therapy Sessions always delivers a night of energizing, diverse, and powerful performance for the mind and soul. Join us in Dublin on Jan 8th, Belfast on the 9th, Cork on the 15th or Galwayon the 16th… or come along to all four! Presented in partnership with SpunOut.ie. The Belfast Therapy Sessions is also in partnership with Duncairn Arts Centre.   Click here to book Therapy Sessions _______________________   Humans Discuss Being   In a one-off special, the ‘Humans Discuss Being’ podcast is going LIVE in the form of a panel show! On January 10th at 7.30pm, Eve Darcy will be accompanied by 3 very special comedian guests: Alison Spittle, Allie O’Rourke & Hannah Mamalis. Eve and guests will discuss the ability of comedy to challenge stigmas associated with mental health, as well as tackling the challenges and struggles faced by comedians within the comedy scene.   Click here to register for Humans Discuss Being _______________________   The Seany Project   This beautiful Mayo based organisation, The Seany Project, launches Saturday 9th at 11am as part of the First Fortnight Festival with a short documentary about the organisation. They are a social prescribing sports based social enterprise aimed at getting men, women and young adults talking about their mental health. The project’s mental health kit involves the uniquely designed ‘Thoughtball.’With 5 friendly questions written on the ball, it coaxes conversation as it’s passed around the circle. Watch to see what happened when these kits were used by members of Belmullet GAA in Co Mayo!   Click here to register for the Seany Project _______________________   Just a note to say… our events start on time! Try your best to log onto your chosen event(s) early or on time, or you risk missing the beginning of the event! As always, we recommend that you look through our whole programme of events. There really is something for everyone! Book through our website and don’t forget to follow us on social media. Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ LinkedIn