Arts & Human Rights with Smashing Times

This episode of the Arts and Human Rights Radio Show provides an indepth look at the programme for the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2026 with producers Freda Manweiler and Ciara Hayes.

Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders, and a range of partners, present the eighth annual Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival from the 9 to 18 October 2026. The festival features exciting and innovative events that promote equality, human rights and diversity throughout Ireland, Northern Ireland and internationally. The aim of the festival is to showcase and highlight the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world, past and present, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today.

The aim is to have the Irish Arts and Human Rights festival take place in every county in Ireland and to have international events and partners. The festival has sought to be as inclusive as possible; opening up to all artists across Ireland and internationally and to all communities including those experiencing marginalization and disadvantage, to ensure that artistic voices are championed, and that the scale of the festival can grow to broaden a wide range of arts participation, playing a vital role in the fabric of Ireland’s cultural, social and political landscape.

The festival promotes human rights and justice for all, and the vision of a world where all people are treated equally, with dignity and respect – linking the arts to civil society, active citizenship and politics, aiming to celebrate and unite community connections, artists, human rights organisations and human rights defenders.
The festival showcases world-class and diverse acts, artists and speakers, including up and coming performers. It brings arts and human rights together through interdisciplinary events which include workshops, theatre performances, musical performances, visual arts, exhibitions, film screenings, panel discussions, poetry and literature events, historical memory performances, live art, digital installations, and more.

Join us to illuminate stories of courage and inspiration and to share stories of ordinary people who stand up for human rights. We bear witness to, and remember the past, explore the present and celebrate the future linked to equality, human rights and diversity for all.

The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show is broadcast every Wednesday 6-7pm with Dublin South FM with each episode available as a podcast. The show is hosted by Mary Moynihan, writer, poet, creator of art and photography and Artistic Director, Smashing Times along with co-host Freda Manweiler, Producer, Smashing Times. Enjoy an engaging hour of in-depth discussions focused on all things arts, culture and human rights.Tune in to Dublin South FM 93.9, or listen online at www.dublinsouthfm.ie. All past episodes can be listened to here.

Mary Moynihan, MA, she/her, is an author of novels, poetry, films and plays, from Dublin,Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and hasgarnered much acclaim for her plays, poetry and short film scripts, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing, poetry and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual international Arts and Human Rights festival.
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This radio show features broadcaster Mary Moynihan taking listeners on a captivating journey to the historic Skellig Islands off the coast of County Kerry, sharing her personal adventure climbing the 618 stone steps to Skellig Michael’s 6th-century UNESCO World Heritage monastery and reflecting on neighbouring Little Skellig's rich birdlife. Throughout the broadcast, Mary connects local history and culture by reciting her poem Skellig Dreams—inspired by 19th-century Iveragh poet Tomás Rua Ó Súilleabháin—and highlighting Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal, a bilingual collection showcasing works by six artists connected to Iveragh alongside recommendations of books by authors June O’Sullivan and Paddy Bushe. Purchase Edition VII of Tintreach here or go to smashingtimes.ie. Concluding with a conversation with producer Ciara Hayes, the show ties local preservation to global climate action by introducing "Green Imaginings: Art, Ecology and Europe’s Future," an upcoming event hosted by Smashing Times on October 13, 2026, as part of the International Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival. Tune in to Dublin South FM 93.9, or listen online at www.dublinsouthfm.ie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s show has a feature artist interview with poet Paddy Bushe who is one of the six contributing artists to Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal. Paddy Bushe was born in Dublin, and has lived in Iveragh for more than 50 years. Paddy is a member of Aosdána and has published 15 collections of poetry in both English and Irish. His prose work The Amergin Step is a personal exploration of the imagination and landscape of Iveragh.
Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal was published on Saturday, 18 July 2026, as part of Smashing Times’ inaugural Kerry Arts and Human Rights Festival. This is a very special bilingual edition, themed ‘Muintearas: Macallaí Uíbh Ráthaigh / Belonging: Echoes of Iveragh’. It brings together work in both Irish and English from six artists with a connection to Uíbh Ráthach, or Iveragh, in County Kerry. Purchase Edition VII of Tintreach here or go to smashingtimes.ie
The Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio show is broadcast every Wednesday 6-7pm with Dublin South FM with each episode available as a podcast. The show is hosted by Mary. Enjoy an engaging hour of in-depth discussions focused on all things arts, culture and human rights. Tune in to Dublin South FM 93.9, or listen online at www.dublinsouthfm.ie. All past episodes can be listened to here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This edition of the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio Show looks back at the inaugural Kerry Arts and Human Rights Festival, which took place on 18 and 19 July 2026 in Cahersiveen and Valentia Island on the beautiful Iveragh Peninsula. Presented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, the festival brought together artists, writers, community members and audiences to celebrate creativity, culture and human rights. The event was officially opened by Kerry TD Michael Cahill and Councillor Norma Moriarty of Kerry County Council. Both speakers delivered inspiring addresses highlighting the importance of protecting and promoting human rights while paying tribute to the many women and men from across Kerry who have stood up for justice, equality and the rights of others throughout history.
On the radio show, we feature an in-depth interview with three of the contributing artists to Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal. Enjoy an engaging and fascinating interview with visual artist Dominika Piekarska, and novelists June O'Sullivan and Ita Ryan as we explore their work, creative practices and the inspirations that come from the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry.
A key event at this year’s inaugural Kerry Arts and Human Rights festival was the launch of Edition VII of Tintreach: The Smashing Times Arts and Literary Journal which is out now. The event was launched by Councillor Teddy O’Sullivan Casey. This is a special bilingual edition themed ‘Muintearas: Macallaí Uíbh Ráthaigh/Belonging: Echoes of Iveragh’. The edition was launched with a powerful presentation by Councillor Teddy O’Sullivan Casey. Incorporating both Irish and English, the edition includes the work of six artists with a connection to the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. The edition’s themes include belonging, identity, history, place, community, art, the Irish language, nature, and more. The contributing artists are Paddy Bushe (poetry) and Dominika Piekarska (visual art) – who make up the edition’s Featured Artists – as well as June O’Sullivan (short fiction), John Goode (poetry), Marie O’Shea (non-fiction), and Ita Ryan (short fiction). Also included are works by bonus artists with an excerpt from one of the region’s – and indeed Ireland’s – most famous poems: ‘Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire’ by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill. This special edition of Tintreach contains two poems by Mary Moynihan, a writer, poet, and creator of art and photography, and Artistic Director of Smashing Times, who has been visiting Valentia Island for nearly two decades. Furthermore, the edition holds an Arts in the Community Profile and Interview with the eco-social artist, researcher, and educator Dr Anita McKeown who is based in Cahersiveen.
Edition VII of Tintreach is available to purchase here.

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