Former President Mary Robinson amongst speakers at the I.NY Festival 2020

The 2020 I.NY Festival will host a diverse, exciting and challenging collection of conversations and events, presented virtually from Limerick and free to view, including a pivotal, post-US election discussion between Senator Bernie Sanders, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, and a number of invited young climate and political activists.

Further events will feature Irish Ambassador to the UN Geraldine Byrne Nason, Deborah Treisman of The New Yorker, Booker Prize winners Anne Enright and Roddy Doyle, Impac Prize winner Colum McCann and Pritzker Prize winning architect Shelley McNamara.

Also joining the 2020 festival will be Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling, choreographer Jean Butler, artist and U2 collaborator Catherine Owens, Lankum’s Radie Peat, photographer Rich Gilligan, Aidan Connolly of the Irish Arts Center NYC, photographer and DJ Brian Cross/B+, Mothers Of Invention’s Thimali Kodikara, Kathryn Lloyd of Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and journalists and broadcasters including Dave Hannigan, Donal Dineen, John Kelly and Peter Curtin, along with New York DJs Qool Marv, Monk One and Miranda Maxwell.

The festival runs over five days – from Wednesday, December 2, to Sunday, December 6 – and all events are free to view at www.thisisINY.com.

An anchor event within Fáilte Ireland’s Global Irish Festival Series, the I.NY Project explores and celebrates the relationship between Ireland and New York, one story at a time. The annual I.NY Festival is one of the central elements of the I.NY Project, bringing to life the unique relationship between Ireland and New York, in all its diversity and richness, history and modernity, positivity and difficulty.

Focusing on the personal stories of the Irish in and of New York, I.NY welcomes and tells those stories through conversation and debate, interviews and performances, cultural and political discourse, music, literature, film, fashion, food, sport and arts events. The full 2020 festival programme is available now at www.thisisiny.com.

I.NY Festival founder and director David O’Donovan said: “Our small team are genuinely delighted to announce details of the 2020 I.NY Festival. It’s been an extraordinary year, and we’re deeply grateful to our friends and colleagues here at home and in New York who have guided and supported us in imagining, undoing, reimagining and eventually staging a 2020 festival in the best way we can, given the world we currently, temporarily, live in.

“Our intention, as always, is that the I.NY Festival will connect people, cause ideas, start conversations, begin friendships, and entertain audience and artist alike. That feels more important this year than ever before. Moving online has meant that we can invite artists and speakers to join us who couldn’t have physically travelled, and that has meant that there are guests in the programme this year that we’ve been hoping to invite to the Festival for some time.

“We’re greatly looking forward to hearing their stories. We’re grateful too for the support, enthusiasm and generosity of thought of our many partners, and really looking forward to welcoming friends, family, guests and audience, from Ireland and New York, back to the festival, even if this year that’s via screen. We’ll see you soon.”

Ciara Sugrue, head of festivals at Fáilte Ireland, noted: "In this most challenging year, the need to stay connected with family and friends has never felt more important, whether that was together in our small contact groups or apart through the many digital ways we're all now so familiar with.

“As a supporter of I.NY from its beginning, Fáilte Ireland are delighted to see the festival re-imagined so successfully as an online event for 2020, and encouraged that the organisers have been able to shape such a diverse, interesting and high-calibre programme. I.NY 2020 certainly gives our friends, family and audiences, both at home and abroad, great reason and opportunity to connect virtually this December, as we all look forward to being together in person again in Ireland in 2021.”

Ciarán Madden, Consul General of Ireland New York, added; “In these times when we cannot connect in person, we have to work harder to maintain trans-Atlantic links. I.NY have created a programme with something to interest everyone, cut right through the Zoom-fatigue and celebrate the depth and breadth of Ireland-New York connections, historical and current, political, cultural and more.”

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Councillor Michael Collins, commented: “I.NY gives a perfect platform to discuss our relationship, past and present, with New York and indeed the wider United States. While we’re unable to welcome visitors to Limerick this year, we can welcome them virtually and I am looking forward to the electric range of events taking place during the online 2020 festival. I.NY has grown in stature over the past number of years into what is becoming a valued and growing festival in Limerick.”

Professor Kerstin Mey, president, University of Limerick, said UL is pleased to partner in the forthcoming festival, building on its strong alumni and foundation relations to New York. “We are delighted to contribute with our expertise to what promises to be vibrant cultural exchanges and celebrations.”

Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group plc, which operates Shannon Airport and Shannon Heritage visitor attractions, said: “We are proud to once again sponsor I.NY in 2020. Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic it is wonderful to see this festival continue the spirit and tenacity that connects Ireland and New York.

“We look forward to the future welcoming of NY visitors to Shannon Airport and our Limerick heritage icon, King John’s Castle, to experience its story of resilience spanning 800 years.”

News and updates from I.NY Festival can be found on the social media channels @thisisINY.

*Pictured above, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson will take part in a post-US election discussion with Senator Bernie Sanders and a number of invited young climate and political activists as part of this year's I.NY Festival, taking place next week.