International Literature Festival Dublin
presents

Pillars of a City: Celebrating Poets
Eavan Boland & Thomas Kinsella

Sun 29 May, 19:00
Speranza Marquee (in-person), Merrion Square Park & online

International Literature Festival Dublin is delighted to present a celebration of two of Ireland’s most cherished poets, in the city they called home.

In their respective lifetimes, poets and critics Eavan Boland and Thomas Kinsella truly embodied the ancient role of the poet as visionary, as moral conscience for society. Both of these towering figures were lost to Dublin, and to the city of poetry itself, during lockdown, and now it’s time to celebrate, publicly, their lives and work.

Guests for this very special evening will be poets Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Louis de Paor, Gerard Smyth and Lucy Collins, with readings by actors Barry McGovern, Jane Brennan and Stephen Rea (on screen). Musicians Frankie Gavin and Néillidh Mulligan will perform and the evening will also feature musical settings of Boland’s poems by Colm Ó Foghlú and archival recordings featuring both poets. This unique event is curated and directed by Vincent Woods.

In their interrogations of the political and cultural spheres, and in their depictions of the intimate moments of human existence in the wider narrative of history, neither shied away from the controversial or the unspeakable. Each, in their own way, gave voice to the voiceless, using their poetry to articulate the concerns of their generation.

Eavan Boland was born in Dublin in 1944. As an academic, she taught in Ireland and the USA, including Trinity College and University College Dublin and as professor and director of the creative writing program at Stanford University. She passed away in April 2020.

Thomas Kinsella was born in Dublin in 1928. After leaving the Irish Civil Service, he became a full-time writer and teacher in the USA. He produced over thirty books of poetry and essays. He died in 2021 at the age of 93.

Presented in association with Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.

There is an option to also watch this event live from the comfort of your own home.

After two years of online events, ILFDublin is delighted to once again welcome authors from around the world to gather in-person in Dublin city for this 11 day celebration of writing and literature. This year the festival has a new home, a Literary Village which will, for the 11 days, be set up in Merrion Square Park, a beautiful space in the heart of the city and surrounded by a rich and unique literary history. The full programme is now available to view at ilfdublin.com

Tickets priced €12 / €10 (€8 online) are on sale now via ilfdublin.com or email boxoffice@ilfdublin.com