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News | 28 August 2026
Dublin Festival of History, 26 September to 11 October
The Culture Company is delighted to partner with Dublin City Libraries once again to deliver the Dublin Festival of History, taking place from 26 September to 11 October at venues across Dublin.
With over 90 cultural and community partners, the festival will deliver over 300 free events, with opportunities for people of all ages and interests to explore history, from the local to the international.
The festival opens with The Big Weekend - a packed two-day programme of talks, debates and panel discussions - and will close on Sunday 11 October with a special European History Day.
To see the complete programme of events, visit dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/events. All events are free, but advance booking is advised.
The Big Weekend 26 and 27 September takes place across Dublin.
On Saturday 26 September take in one of the many varied events at Central Library, Coolock and Cabra Libraries, Pearse Street Library, and Richmond Barracks, Inchicore.
At Cabra Library, a panel of historians from Bohemians, Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic will explore the history of Dublin’s great football clubs.
At Richmond Barracks, Sonja Tiernan will discuss the life of poet and political activist Eva Gore-Booth, while at Central Library, Aoife McCloughlin will explore the story of two icons of Dublin public art – the Anna Livia Fountain and Molly Malone statue.
On Sunday 27 September we present a full day of talks featuring the best of national and international talent, at the Round Room in the Mansion House.
Bestselling author James Hawes will join us to talk about his runaway non-fiction success of the year, The Shortest History of Ireland, while Antonia Senior tells the story of the Cambridge Five and their decades of espionage for the Soviet Union. Dublin and Manchester United legend Kevin Moran reflects back on his career and a different sporting era with Roy Curtis.
Best-selling historian Katja Hoyer examines the Weimar Republic, and the lasting cultural and political impacts it had.
The Dublin Festival of History programme brings history into communities across Dublin, creating opportunities for people to encounter history in accessible, engaging and sometimes unexpected ways.
Content in the Irish language includes a tour of Dublin with 1798 expert Fergus Whelan, and a talk exploring the life of the radical author Máirtín Ó Cadhain.
There is also much for children and young people, including workshops, tours and talks. To see the complete programme of over 300 events, visit dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/events. All events are free, but advance booking is advised.
To close the Festival, on 11th October, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, this year’s festival will feature a European History Day, exploring the people, events and ideas that have shaped Europe across the centuries.
Taking place at the Royal Irish Academy of Music on Sunday 11 October, the line-up includes Catharine Edwards on Cicero and the end of the Roman Republic, Rory Carroll on Roger Casement, Germany and Easter 1916, and Helen Graham on the Spanish Civil War as a national, European and global conflict.
The Dublin Festival of History is brought to you by Dublin City Council and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with Dublin City Council Culture Company.