Body & Soul celebrates 10 years at Ballinlough Castle with a gathering of 'thinkers'
For its 10th anniversary incarnation, founder of Body & Soul, Avril Stanley, has invited some of Ireland’s most daring and challenging thinkers to join the festival line-up, to ignite conversations, big and small, across the festival weekend at Ballinlough Castle, Clonmellon, from 21st to 23rd June.
Festival visionary and founder, Avril Stanley, seeks to use the festival as a provocative platform for positive social change.
“At Body & Soul, we attract a tribe of like-minded people who are engaged with the world around them. Through our talks programme, Body & Soul becomes a vital forum both for debate and the meeting of minds. Covering topics from politics, sustainability, national identity, media, literature, culture and ethics, Body & Soul doesn’t shy away from tackling the issues that are shaping our world.”
The Library of Progress on the Woodlands Stage looks to celebrate all that is good about our inquisitive nature, scientific method and critical thinking. The Sunday programme features the brilliant and hilarious podcasts: Taranoia, hosted by Tara Flynn with guest Emma Dabiri; and Sentimental Garbage, hosted by Caroline O’Donoghue with guest Sarah Maria Griffin. Comedian Kevin McGahern meets the people behind the Waterford Whispers News website and historian Donal Fallon examines the evil books censored in Ireland in the not too distant past with writer and journalist Angela Nagle. The Library of Progress also sees Dublin Oldschool writer and actor Emmett Kirwan host Beats Verses Rhymes, a gathering of Ireland’s most exciting emerging hip-hop and rap artists and poets including Natalya O’Flaherty, The Poet Geoff & Emmet O’Brien, Stephen James Smith, Roxanna Nic Liam, Lewis Kenny, Dagogo Hart and Trudie Gorman.
The Irish Times will take over the Woodlands stage on Saturday for a series of provocative panels and debates. Irish Times food fanatics Jess Murphy and Sorcha Hamilton, cookery author and entrepreneur Rozanna Purcell and host Catherine Cleary, Irish Times restaurant critic and climate activist will discuss the rise of veganism, sustainability and how food can change the world in “Climate Shock: Do We All Have To Go Vegan Now?”. Listen to Tara Flynn alongside former Sydney Rose and journalist Brianna Parkins, and spoken word artist Felispeaks for their steer on ‘How to Stay Sane in a World Gone Mad’, in a live recording of The Women’s Podcast. The panel leans into this year’s festival theme - Ritual - as they discuss the various techniques and rituals they’ve used to help them navigate challenging times in their lives. Hosted by Hugh Linehan for the Inside Politics Podcast, A Nation Once Again? brings together a panel of thought leaders including Mary Lou McDonald, Simon Carswell & Sophie Long to discuss the possibility of a United Ireland and explore the latest developments regarding B*****. Hugh Linehan talks to activist Ailbhe Smyth about a lifetime of activism. Smyth was recently named – along with Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama – one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential for her work with Together For Yes which led the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment and introduce legal abortion to Ireland.
The Sanctuary Area will also host a dizzying array of talks on spirituality such as Michael Harding as he discusses ritual, religion, his ongoing search for meaning, the narratives we weave around the self and the ultimate bliss of living in the present. Dr. Ivor Browne suggests that the heart, rather than the brain, is the centre of our being, in conversation with DJ Donal Dineen. Further highlights include Dil Wickremasinghe, Chloë Goodchild and Benig Mauger.
All that being said, every Body & Souler knows some of the most stimulating and inspiring talks are the ones that are sparked at the festival, with both old friends and new! Meetings of minds that invigorate the weekend and send us home with a changed perspective.
Explore the full talks and culture programme at www.bodyandsoul.ie.