Culture Night Podcast Culture Night Podcast

Lisa Marie Griffith is a historian and writer who has run an Independent Bookshop Tour in Dublin for the last couple of years. This year she’s broadening her horizons and talking to booksellers from all over Ireland to hear the story behind some of the oldest and quirkiest independent bookshops on the island. Booksellers discuss the history of their shops, the pre and post lockdown challenges to independent bookshops, and what we are reading in 2020.


In Episode 2, Lisa moves beyond the capital to browse the shelves in bookshops all over the island. She talks with booksellers Vibes and Scribes, winner of National Bookshop of the Year 2020, Books@One ‘the bookshop that could change Ireland’, No Alibis, a shop that inspired 4 novels, and Charlie Byrnes, one of the most iconic bookshops in the west of Ireland.

Lisa Marie Griffith is a historian and writer who has run an Independent Bookshop Tour in Dublin for the last couple of years. This year she’s broadening her horizons and talking to booksellers from all over Ireland to hear the story behind some of the oldest and quirkiest independent bookshops on the island. Booksellers discuss the history of their shops, the pre and post lockdown challenges to independent bookshops, and what we are reading in 2020.


In Episode 1, Lisa is out on the streets of the capital to meet booksellers from four of Dublin’s best-known bookshops including Books Upstairs, the Gutter Bookshop, Tales for Tadpoles and the Winding Stairs. She will share some bookshop trivia and stop off in Dublin’s old bookselling districts. 

In December 1892, the City Fruit and Vegetable Market formally opened its doors to Dubliners. Now, as the distinctive red and yellow brick building awaits a new lease of life, this audio tour will trace its inception, design and building through the closing decades of the nineteenth century. From site selection to opening ceremony, Dublin brick to Bristol-made iron, discover how this unique building tells the story of Victorian Dublin. About: Kathryn Milligan is an art historian specialising in nineteenth and twentieth century Irish art. Her first book, Painting Dublin, 1886 – 1949: Visualising a changing city, will be published in December 2020.


Kathryn Milligan is an art historian specialising in nineteenth and twentieth century Irish art. Her first book, Painting Dublin, 1886 – 1949: Visualising a Changing City, will be published in December 2020

Aoife Barry and Lauren Murphy from 'Get Around To It' look ahead to Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir 2020, previewing some of the online and offline events and speaking to artists Aoife Dunne and Michael Gallen, Culture Night Coordinator Aimée van Wylick and David Francis Moore of VISUAL Carlow.

See culturenight.ie for bookings and all the latest event info.

Produced in association with Headstuff Podcast Network, the Culture Night Podcast delves into different facets of culture and the arts, with some leading thinkers, doers and makers exploring the ways in which our cultural heritage enhances our experiences.





In this episode, chaired by Emma Gleeson, we explore sustainability in the arts and creative industries. Joining Emma are Catríona Fallon, Maeve Stone, Clodagh O’Reilly and Clare O’Connor.





Catríona Fallon was responsible for initiating the Greening Siamsa initiative in Siamsa Tire and is a co-founder of the Green Arts Initiative in Ireland with Theatre Forum, supported by Creative Carbon Scotland.  Catríona is also a founder member of Kerry Climate Action Network and a board member of Kerry Sustainable Energy Co-op.  She currently works with Siamsa Tíre part-time as their Visual Arts Curator.





Maeve Stone is an artist and activist working in theatre and film. As part of a new EU-funded project, Cultural Adaptations, she will serve as an ‘embedded’ artist within both Codema (Dublin’s Energy Agency set up by Dublin City Council in 1997) and axis:Ballymun over 2019 – 2020.





Clodagh O’Reilly is Executive Director of ReCreate Ireland. ReCreate is a social enterprise that works to inspire curiosity, creativity and care for the environment. Working with over 280 Irish companies, they work to inspire creativity by giving unused excess materials another life.





Clare O’Connor is the Sustainability Officer with Native Events, Ireland’s leading sustainable event production company.





Emma Gleeson is a professional declutterer with a sustainable twist. She is currently writing a book with Penguin Ireland about our  consumer society and how leading a more mindful material life can make for calmer, more joyful and more sustainable households  Find her on Instagram @stuffhappensemma





Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. This year, it takes place on Friday 20th of September.

Produced in association with Headstuff Podcast Network, the Culture Night Podcast delves into different facets of culture and the arts, with some leading thinkers, doers and makers exploring the ways in which our cultural heritage enhances our experiences.

In this episode, journalist and disability activist Louise Bruton hosts a panel discussion exploring diversity and inclusion in the arts in Ireland. She is joined by Evgeny Shtorn, Mabel Chah, Aisling Byrne and Emma Connors. 

Evgeny Shtorn is an LGBT activist, organiser and researcher from Russia. Evgeny conceived and is currently involved in an initiative with the National Gallery of Ireland called Something From There, an artist-led project exploring the experiences of people seeking asylum or living in direct provision in Ireland. 

Mabel Chah moved to Ireland in 2013 from Cameroon and settled in Sligo. After joining the Sligo Gospel Choir and the Sligo Cathedral Choir, Mabel became heavily involved in the music scene and in 2019 released her EP 'Zero to Hero'.  She is also involved in a food community group for asylum seekers in Sligo called Sligo Global Kitchen. She is the 2019 Culture Night Ambassador for Sligo.

Aisling Byrne is director of Run of the Mill Theatre, a community-based theatre arts collective based in North Kildare. The company is committed to supporting people with intellectual disabilities to access high-quality experiences in drama and theatre arts as artists, makers and participants.

Emma Connors is the Arts Development Manager at axis Ballymun. axis's working principle is 'excellence and inclusion', with diversity and inclusion key considerations in their programming. Among the initiatives undertaken by the theatre are the Arts & Disability Residence and Creatively Driving Change programming strand.

Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. This year, it takes place on Friday 20th of September.