Breaking The Silence

This event has ended

Online, Saturday 29th May

Featuring Elaine Feeney, Loah, Terri Harrison, The Mary Wallopers, Majella Moynihan, Noelle Brown, Phil Mullen, Jess Kav, Alison Lowry, Caelainn Hogan & more.

This special evening of words and song broadcast from the stage of the National Concert Hall presents personal responses from a range of leading Irish writers, musicians and artists to the ongoing legacy of Ireland’s mother and baby home institutions.

Until alarmingly recently, religious orders and the Irish state operated a network of institutions for the concealment, punishment and exploitation of women called ‘fallen' and ‘offenders', a secretive system that forcibly separated families.

Through breaking silences and sharing testimonies, survivors of Ireland's religious-run institutions have become catalysts of change. In the search for answers, their voices must continue to be heard. 
 
Working with generational survivors of the institutions, this one-off live event is curated by acclaimed author of Republic of ShameCaelainn Hogan.

More artists to be announced.

Presented by the International Literature Festival Dublin and the National Concert Hall.


Date:
Saturday 29th May
Time:
8.00pm
Price:
Free

You might also like...

What's on

The Plough and the Stars

Abbey Theatre

The Plough and the Stars was first performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1926. The audience rioted. Now regarded as a masterpiece, this provocative play is an essential part of our understanding of 1916. Recently performed during the centenary of the Easter Rising, Olivier Award-winning director Sean Holmes returns with this production of Sean O’Casey’s absorbing play. Set amid the tumult of the Easter Rising, The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by the idealism of the time. The residents of a Dublin tenement shelter from the violence that sweeps through t

What's on

An Evening with Ricky Tomlinson – My Arse

Vicar Street

Join us for an intimate and inspiring evening with one of Britain’s most recognisable and beloved entertainers. In this special event, Ricky Tomlinson opens up about the remarkable journey that shaped him—long before his rise to television fame. This special interview is hosted by writer and award-winning performer Asa Murphy, whose warm rapport and charismatic style bring out the very best in Ricky’s stories. “An Evening with Ricky Tomlinson” is more than an autobiography—it’s a celebration of honesty, humour, and humanity.

What's on

Bold Moves: Dare To Dream

O'Reilly Theatre

Bold Moves, Dare to Dream runs at the O’Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College from 10 to 18 April 2026, bringing together Olivier-nominated choreographer Arthur Pita and rising Irish choreographer Ruaidhri Maguire for a programme that challenges expectations of what a night at the ballet can be. Expect sharp storytelling, bold physicality and a soundtrack that moves from classical to cult pop. Arthur Pita brings two striking works to Dublin. His acclaimed A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream takes Shakespeare’s comedy and turns it on its head, shifting from Handel to Eartha Kitt and B