The Kennedy Center Sets Additional IRELAND 100 Programming

From May 17-June 5, the Kennedy Center presents IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture, an international festival spanning three weeks and featuring more than 50 performances with the participation of more than 500 artists in venues across the Center. The comprehensive schedule of events highlights Ireland's rich cultural legacy and its major footprint in the fields of theater, literature, music, and dance. Taking place in the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, the nation's most well-known Irish-American President and the first sitting President to visit Ireland, the festival is also part of a yearlong celebration at the Center marking the centennial of JFK's birth. Furthermore, IRELAND 100 is the centerpiece in the United States of the global commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising, a historic event that led to Ireland's independence.

The festival launches on May 17 with an opening performance in the Concert Hall directed and hosted by Fiona Shaw, one of the most acclaimed Irish actors and directors of our time. The multidisciplinary event features the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of leading Irish conductor, David Brophy, as well as a host of Irish acts that will appear in performances throughout the festival, offering a glimpse at the gamut of Irish arts. As the festival's Artist-in-Residence, Shaw will also present a master class, a panel discussion with guest artists, and the premiere of her work Blowing the Heart Open.

IRELAND 100 also opens with three art installations in the Center's public spaces. The Ogham Wall, an architectural construct by Grafton Architects and Graphic Relief that is inspired by the Irish Ogham alphabet, will be on display in the Hall of Nations. Meanwhile, the Hall of States will host two exhibits: William Close's The Earth Harp, a large-scale installation designed specifically to fill this space and which will feature live musical demonstrations; and the Egan Harp, a portable harp from 1820 by Irish harp-maker John Egan, on loan from The O'Brien Collection. All three exhibits will be open to the general public for the duration of the festival.

Newly announced programs include: screenings of three documentary films that chronicle President Kennedy's visit to Ireland in 1963; a performance showcase and unveiling of a special installation honoring the 99th anniversary of JFK's birth on May 29; free performances on the Millennium Stage; a literary series designed by Maureen Kennelly of Poetry Ireland and Paul Muldoon, which features more than 20 Irish and American writers and musicians; and highly anticipated culinary events, including a free cooking demonstration and lecture by Irish chef Cathal Armstrong of Alexandria's Restaurant Eve, as well as tasting events showcasing Irish whiskey, beer, and cheese. The updated announcement also highlights a Family Day, calling all redheads and redheads at heart to participate in special free activities for all ages, and the addition of an outdoor green space-which allows for further free performances and workshops, picnicking, and Irish food and drinks.

Notable performances that were previously announced include Abbey Theater's The Plough and the Stars, regarded as an Irish masterpiece; the U.S. debut of Tiny Plays for Ireland and America, performed by the Irish theater company Fishamble and directed by Jim Culleton; the U.S. premiere of A Girl's Bedroom, the second in a series of theatrical installations created by Enda Walsh in collaboration with the Galway International Arts Festival; and the D.C. debut of The Gloaming, a contemporary Irish music supergroup comprised of vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird, pianist Thomas Bartlett, hardanger player Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, violinist/fiddler Martin Hayes, and guitarist Dennis Cahill.

Tickets are available and can be purchased on the IRELAND 100 webpage, in person at the Kennedy Center Box Office, or by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.

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