Following the success of Breaking Ground Ireland – the latest resource in our Breaking Ground series, commissioned to champion the diversity of writers on the island of Ireland by Cúirt International Festival of Literature and NUI Galway – we are pleased to announce that Speaking Volumes is producing Breaking Ground Ireland Live.
Over the next 12 months, we will be producing Breaking Ground Ireland events with partners across the UK and Ireland, bringing the incredible range and depth of writing by these diverse authors and poets to festivals and venues for new audiences to discover. Find a BGI Live event near you.
Upcoming events
Saturday 25 October – Off the Shelf, Sheffield
Recent years have witnessed disturbing protests against multicultural communities in both the UK and Ireland. Why have these shocking occurrences happened, what does it feel like to live through them and what can we learn from history and literature to make a change? Join Queens University Belfast historian Kieran Connell, Irish writer and presenter Emer O’Neill and British-Irish writer Charlotte Rea-Patel in conversation with poet John Siddique to talk about our diverse islands.
25 October, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Creative Lounge, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX
Tickets: £10/£12
Monday 3 November – Europe House, Dublin
Learning From The Neighbours
What does the diversity of Irishness look like today and what are the problems facing those at the forefront? And how does this compare to the experiences of their British neighbours? Can lessons be learned from each other?
Join Trinity Dublin Professor and writer Philomena Mullen and Queen’s University Belfast lecturer historian Kieran Connell for an evening of discussion and insights, chaired by author and broadcaster Emer O’Neill.
3 November 2025 at 18:00-20:00
Europe House, 5 Balfe Street, Dublin 2
Book a free ticket here
Tuesday 25 November – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution / Online
Learning the lessons of Britain’s multicultural history
Between the end of World War Two and the early twenty-first century, the UK became the diverse society we live in today. In his book, Multicultural Britain, acclaimed historian Kieran Connell takes readers into multicultural communities across the country.
Exploring the messy contradictions of the last eighty years, Connell reveals the ordinary people who forged our multicultural country, exposes the leaders who constantly weaponise race for their own political ends, and reveals the shifting nature of British racism and its enduring impact on our society.
This is a timely conversation foregrounded against a landscape of increasing intolerance, immigration anxiety and racially-motivated riots. Join Kieran Connell and Suresh Ariaratnam, as they discuss the rich and complex lived reality of British multiculturalism.
25 November 2025 at 19:30-21:00
BRLSI, 16 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN
or Online
Tickets: £3 / £6
Past events
Saturday 28 June – Bradford Literature Festival
Multicultural Britain and Ireland: Where Are You From?
In this powerful and timely event, historian Kieran Connell draws on his own Irish-heritage upbringing in one of Birmingham’s most diverse neighbourhoods to explore the layered histories of multicultural Bradford and other UK cities. He is in conversation with Irish writer and journalist Rosaleen McDonagh, a board member of Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre who was appointed a Human Rights Commissioner in June 2020.
The Small Hall , University of Bradford, BD7 1DP
10:30-11:30
https://www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk/event/multicultural-britain-where-are-you-from/
Sunday 8 June – Belfast Book Festival
The Rooney Prize-winning author of I Don’t Want to Talk About Home, Suad Aldarra, will be talking to Noreen Masud about her new memoir, A Flat Place, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, and a discussion on nature writing, belonging and the hidden histories of landscape.
The Crescent Arts, University Road, Belfast; 17:50-19:00
Tickets: Pay What You Decide
More information and to book tickets: https://belfastbookfestival.com/whats-on/a-flat-place-noreen-masud
Tuesday 13 May – Writing on the Wall Liverpool
Poet and playwright Gabrielle Fullam, writer and disability activist Maryam Madani and author and academic Philomena Mullen taking part in a talk as part of Writing on the Wall’s 25th festival in Liverpool, looking at modern Irish identities.
VideOdyssey, Toxteth; 19:00-21:00
Tickets: £5
More information and to book tickets: https://writingonthewall.org.uk/myevents/exploring-modern-ireland/
Tuesday 13 May – Page of Wands, London
Facilitated by poet and science communicator Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan – this special poetry workshop in partnership with Page of Wands will include writing exercises around the politics of discovery, and playing with different writing forms to interpret scientific information. No qualifications or in-depth knowledge about science is necessary, all you need to bring is curiosity and something to write with!
Set Social, 55 Nigel Road London SE15 4NP
19:30-20:30
Tickets free – more on Eventbrite
Friday 2 May – Lyra Poetry Bristol
Two Breaking Ground Ireland poets, Abby Oliveira and Ola Majekodunmi, supporting former Scottish Makar Jackie Kay at the headline event.
Waterstones (Bristol Galleries); 19:00-20:00
Tickets: £8 (£10 solidarity, £5 concessions)
More information and to book tickets: https://www.lyrafest.com/#e124501
Irish Writers’ Weekend at the British Library – 23 November 2023
Celebrating Diverse Writers on the island of Ireland
Think of Irish literature and a wealth of names come to mind — from classic poets like W B Yeats to popular fiction novelists like Marian Keyes. Yet, in the twenty-first century the makeup of island of Ireland has shifted, and with it the writing landscape. Breaking Ground Ireland, an initiative between Cúirt International Festival of Literature, the University of Galway and Speaking Volumes, highlights diverse writers on the island of Ireland today, who write widely across genres and themes. Come and hear poet and playwright Nandi Jola, bestselling author of fiction Cauvery Madhavan and poet and editor Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe talk to Dr Niamh Gallaghar about the changes they have been part of initiating and read from their work.
– 14:30-15:45, Saturday 23 November 2024
– Eliot Room, British Library Conference Centre, London
– Tickets: £12.00-24.00 for a festival day pass – buy here
Push the Boat Out Festival, Edinburgh – 23 November 2024
Originally a collaboration between Cúirt International Festival of Literature, the National University of Ireland Galway, and Speaking Volumes, Push the Boat Out is delighted to bring Breaking Ground Ireland writers to a Scottish stage. Poets Christie Kandiwa, Neo Gilson, and Lorde Fuhl will be chaired by Speaking Volumes’ Sharmilla Beezmohun in this fascinating event showcasing some of Ireland’s best contemporary talents.
– 15:00-16:00, Saturday 23 November 2024
– Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh
– Tickets £0-12.00 -buy here
Morecambe Poetry Festival – 22 September 2024
Three Breaking Ground Ireland poets will read as the opening half of Lemn Sissay’s ‘Let the Light In’ show, the closing headline event of the 2024 edition of Morecambe Poetry Festival. Discover the range of Ireland’s diverse poetry scene with Amy A Barry, Raquel McKee and Sasha Terfous (and watch Lemn as well!).
– 19:30, Sunday 22 September 2024
– Morecambe Winter Gardens
– Tickets: £20 plus booking fee
More BGI Live events will be added very soon.
Breaking Ground Ireland Live is made possible with funding from Arts Council England.