The Dublin Festival of History runs from 26th September to 12th October 2025 with a packed calendar of events across Dublin. The Festival’s ‘Big Weekend’ of high profile speakers takes place this year in the Round Room at the Mansion House on Saturday 27th September and Sunday 28th September.
The Dublin Festival of History is an annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company.
Here are some Dublin 8-inspired highlights:
- Discover centuries of Dublin’s history on the self-guided Le Pole Trail, available daily 08:00–18:00 at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel on Golden Lane and learn about the recent archaeological discoveries in the area
- Explore the fascinating former St James’s Church of Ireland (now Pearse Lyons Distillery) and the adjoining historic Graveyard with tours through the Festival, Uncover tales of medieval pilgrims, pioneering whiskey makers, and the vibrant community that has shaped this historic corner of The Liberties for centuries.
- The Guinness Girls: Power, Privilege And A Life Less Ordinary – the stories of three Guinness sisters. One of many events at the Farmleigh Estate in Phoenix Park.
- Explore Bully’s Acre at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. Covering monks, soldiers, veterans and body snatchers just to name a few, different stories are used to illuminate death, dying and how communities would interact and deal with it.
- Visit the Edward Worth Library in Dr Steeven’s Hospital, a treasure trove in Dublin 8, for an introduction to Dr Edward Worth and his beautiful early eighteenth-century collections.
- Join Dublin City Council Historian in Residence Cathy Scuffil as she discusses the missing bicycle and other stories of local interest. Cathy will explore how the 1916 events affected local people in Ballyfermot, Inchicore, Islandbridge and Chapelizod.
- Cathy Scuffil also takes us along A Dublin Camino, telling the story of Dublin’s very own pilgrim route.
- Learn all about the Viking burial site discovered at Islandbridge, the largest one located outside of Scandinavia found to date. A walk and talk in the beautiful War Memorial Gardens.
- No one can tell it like Las! Former fire officer and historian Las Fallon recalls ‘the night the Liberties burned’, when a bonded warehouse containing over half a million litres of whiskey blazed and brought destruction to the streets of the Liberties in 1875.
- Learn about Distilling in Dublin from the 18th-Century Until the Present with researcher Sean J Murphy.
- And… the always fascinating Medieval Dublin Symposium, organised by the Friends of Medieval Dublin with support from the Department of History of Trinity College Dublin, will showcase new research in the history and archaeology of medieval Dublin.
With over 250 events there is sure to be plenty to tempt you. Find out details of all events and booking links at www.dublinfestivalofhistory.ie or follow on social media.
