To mark this special Centenary Year, Ireland 2016 has joined forces with Mindfield at Electric Picnic to debate, discuss and argue the toss about where we go from here – from 1916 to 2016 to 2116!
This year’s theme: Future States focuses on the future of the State, its citizens and the world beyond these shores. With a fantastic programme jam packed with talks, performances debates and discussions, festival goers will be invited, encouraged and positively provoked to wrestle with such questions as: ‘What sort of Ireland do we want in 100 years and how do we get there?’ ‘What will it mean to be Irish in five, ten, or even one hundred years’ time?’ and ‘What do we mean when we talk about culture’.
Speaking in advance of the weekend, Minister Humphreys, said: “It is great to see the positive themes which have arisen from the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme brought to life in this year’s programme at Mindfield @ Electric Picnic. Our Centenary year has already provided so many wonderful opportunities to debate and discuss our heritage and history, and now we are looking to the future. Over three days in Stradbally, a diverse mix of some of young artists, journalists, programmers and thinkers will come together to challenge, debate and enjoy the unique atmosphere in Mindfield .”
Highlights for the weekend include:
Leviathan Political Cabaret
- A special Twenty One Sixteen Parliament chaired by Ceann Comhairle Blindboy Boatclub of the Rubberbandits, with speakers including Prof Luke O’Neill of TCD, Dr.Rhona Mahony, Master of the National Maternity Hospital.
- History Ireland Hedge School asks whether the Battle of the Somme was a heroic sacrifice or senseless slaughter and explores festivals from the Feast of Uisneach to Electric Picnic and what makes humans need to gather and get intoxicated!
The Theatre Stage
- The Sixteen and Rising Project by Sian Ní Muirí is set in Dublin 2016 in the midst of vicious austerity, emigration and a housing crisis.
- Award-winning Anu Productions will present Rebel Rebel which recreates the events in Dublin on the 24th April, 1916. Ireland’s leading actors abandon a matinée of Cathleen Ni Houlihan. Stepping out of their costumes and taking their revolvers from beneath the Abbey stage, they march to Dublin Castle.
The Word Stage
This year’s words stage features a jam packed line up of poets, rappers, comedians, actors, dreamers, storytellers and rock Gods. With performances from Amusings, Clara RoseThornton, The Brownbread Mixtape and Milk Artistik to name a few, expect the unexpected!
An Puball Gaeilge
An Puball Gaeilge celebrates all that is wonderful about the Irish language with debates, talks, dancing ceoil agus craic. Highlights include:
- Tara Mooney - Seamstress and songstress from Contae An Chláir;
- Na Gaibairí– Rap has been adopted as the urban lyrical medium in almost every country in the world and the Gaels of Éire have also been thus inspired.
- The Word up Collective present Mc Mupéid - Conemara Native with the words spilling out of him like milk from a cow;
- Anti One - Growing up in Dublin on punk and rap in equal measure, Anti-One approaches hip-hop in true DIY punk fashion.
Full details of Future States: Mindfield @ Electric Picnic can be found at Ireland.ie and Electricpicnic.ie/stage/mindfield
Notes to Editors:
The Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, led by the Minister of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys, T.D., is a year-long programme of activity to commemorate the events of the 1916 Rising, to reflect on our achievements over the last 100 years and to look towards Ireland’s future. Full details of the Ireland 2016 programme is available at www.ireland.ie @ireland #ireland2016