For the first time, the British Embassy in Dublin, the British Council in Ireland and I.NY partnered with St Patrick's Festival in a Glencairn Conversation entitled, ‘Ireland, Britain, and the shaping of our artists’. The British Ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnston, welcomed four internationally-renowned artists, Garry Hynes, Anne Enright and Camille O’Sullivan to discuss with moderator Gerry Stembridge, the strong cultural, artistic and people-to-people links between the UK and Ireland.
Ambassador Johnston was joined by guests from the arts and culture sector to hear the artists discuss personal stories of the Ireland-UK relationship and how this informed and helped shape their respective artistic and professional lives. All three noted the complex and intertwined nature of their experiences and the curiosity, openness and interest of British audiences. Experiences like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Royal Shakespeare Company confirmed and influenced their artistic practice. The panel also discussed how they see the relationship evolving in the future and what this relationship might hold for the next generation of Irish and British writers, performers, artists, actors and designers.
Filmed on 7 March 2022, the event was screened for St Patrick’s Festival 2022 via SPF.TV and Oireachtas TV. The video is available via the link below.