Some of Ireland’s leading poets will be joined by music artists throughout a five-day national spoken-word tour. From 27 September to 1 October, Ireland Is will travel to Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway and Longford to explore the evolution of Ireland as a nation and what that means for its identity, with tickets available here.

What is Ireland, and what does it mean to be Irish? What is the reality of living in this country and how does that differ from reductive cliches? Ireland Is brings together five poets and five musicians to explore these questions through spoken word.

Poetry Ireland in association with SoFFT Productions are producing a collaboration between poets and musicians, through the form of spoken word performances. Colm Keegan, Erin Fornoff, Felispeaks, Hollie McNish and Danez Smith will be joined by a variety of performers in each city to delve into the different aspects of being Irish.

Artists JYellowL, SOAK, Olympio, Strange Boy and Síomha will be joining the tour in Dublin, Longford, Cork, Limerick and Galway respectively, exploring what Ireland truly is.

The tour takes its name from participating poet, Colm Keegan’s poem of the same title in which he is trying to pinpoint what his culture really represents in modern times. Looking at the disparity between common conceptions of Ireland versus the drastically different reality of the island. Much like the poem, the tour seeks to open discourse about how the perception of identity differs individually as well as over time.

Speaking at the announcement of Ireland Is Director of Poetry Ireland, Liz Kelly said, “With this spoken word tour, we are offering audiences a diverse and profound mix of voices and perspectives that explore the Ireland of today in all its complexities”.

In a time when “being Irish” has never had so many definitions, Ireland Is gives an essential voice to the ever-growing community of those who paint a new picture of Ireland.

You can catch the performances of Ireland Is, in the following venues: 

• Axis Ballymun – Dublin – 27 September  
• Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick – 28 September
• The Everyman Theatre, Cork – 29 September
• Black Box Theatre, Galway – 30 September
• Backstage Theatre, Longford – 1 October

Grab tickets to Ireland Is here.