Ireland's Edge: Through the Looking Glass – The Post Pandemic Word – A virtual evening of discussion and performance from some of Ireland's finest thinkers and artists.

Living in unprecedented times of coronavirus the familiar landscape has shifted under our feet. So what do we now know about this new world where almost everything looks and seems the same and yet is profoundly changed? As lawmakers, artists, scientists, technologists, carers, students and citizens we have passed Through the Looking Glass. Unlike Alice though, we do not know if there is a way back. This unique digital event will be streamed live from the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA).

Watch live by clicking on the image above or tune in via YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation at #IrelandsEdge.

6.00pm – Music in Times of Pandemic
Father and daughter, Mick O'Brien (Uileann Pipes) and Aoife Ní Bhriain (Fiddle and Violin) perform music from the celebrated Goodman Collection.

Canon James Goodman who held the chair of Irish in Trinity College from 1879 began collecting music as a young man. He made this collection under the shadow of the Irish Famine fully aware that the music of his native west Kerry stood at risk of perishing alongside the millions lost to death and emigration. This collection of tunes housed in Trinity College Old Library was first published as Tunes of the Munster Pipers by the Irish Traditional Music Archive in 1998. The music in the collection gives us a unique insight into the dance music and song culture of pre-Famine Ireland. One hundred and fifty years later, the Goodman collection has taken on a new resonance.

6.05pm – Privacy, Data and the Pandemic
Ms. Justice Marie Baker, Supreme Court of Ireland – In conversation with Dr David Kenny, Assistant Professor of Law, Trinity College Dublin.

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen population wide contact tracing technology being comprehensively adopted in many countries while under active consideration in others. This has given rise to fears and concerns about violations of privacy and other fundamental rights. Where do privacy and data protection rights sit in all of this given the urgent need to manage and control the pandemic? Can we trust that our country and others have the legal frameworks in place to comply with the existing law while facilitating these measures? How can we know if and whether deletion of personal data has happened once the crisis has passed? Will powers granted to deal with the crisis be ceded when it is over?

6.40pm – Adapt or be Damned
Rita Duffy, Artist in Residence, Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin – An illustrated lecture that brings us on the personal journey of one artist living and working through the strangeness of recent times.

7.00pm – If I Only Had A Heart: Humanising the Machine
Dr Conor McGinn, CEO & Co-Founder of Akara Robotics, Assistant Professor School of Engineering TCD, Group Leader Robotics and Innovation Lab TCD and Niamh Donnelly, Director of AI & Co-Founder of Akara Robotics – In conversation with Síobhra Quinlan.

Dr Conor McGinn and Niamh Donnelly will be in conversation with Síobhra Quinlan, discussing Akara's genesis in Trinity College Dublin, and how it has grown to utilise robotics and AI technology in order to develop socially assistive robots that empower people working in the healthcare sector. This conversation will explore Akara Robotics' unique approach to developing Stevie and Violet, leveraging engineering, science, creativity, anthropology and empathy. They will discuss the importance of ethics in their process, their involvement with the Foundation for Responsible Robotics, and how in these unprecedented times the company has re-prioritised to rapidly respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. How will these learnings be assimilated into the broader vision of Akara Robotics? Peering Through the Looking Glass, how can we best incorporate semi autonomous robots into the fabric of society?

7.20pm – Music in Times of Pandemic
A concluding piece of music from the Goodman Collection from Aoife Ní Bhriain and Mick O'Brien

Ireland's Edge: Through the Looking Glass is supported by Intel Ireland and presented in partnership with Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute and the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA).