The annual UCD Festival is taking place this year on Saturday, the 10th of June, and will feature a range of family-friendly performances, talks, hands-on science demonstrations, interactive exhibits, and plenty more. The UCD Festival is open to all and we encourage you to invite your friends and family to attend so they can have the chance to see behind the scenes, discover something new, and meet our students and world-class academics. UCD is constantly evolving with the changing world and festival goers will get to see first-hand some of our breakthrough discoveries and how UCD is addressing societal challenges.

This year, we have lots of exciting events from disciplines like arts, science, and innovation happening at the Festival Hub, located at O’Reilly Hall and the main lake. There will be an array of inspirational talks with prominent writers and creatives such as Roddy Doyle, Lisa McInerney, Prof. Emilie Pine, Elaine Feeney, and Nicole Flattery, to name but a few. In the afternoon, Rick O’Shea – the UCD Festival Literary Curator – will be in conversation with Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle and The Stinging Fly editor Lisa McInerney on how they write working-class characters into their fiction and how that is changing in recent years.

There will also be a guided tour of the UCD Sculpture Trail, a new writing showcase with Prof. Emilie Pine, Michael Magee, and Nicole Flattery, as well as the family-friendly Write Your Own Story with Fighting Words. Barbara McShane, a UCD alumna and student scholarship donor, attended last year’s festival and found the day inspiring. “The day in itself was fantastic and the speakers were great . . . a great inspiration.” This year is sure to be as inspiring, and it is a fantastic opportunity to stay connected with the UCD community.

If you would like to get further involved with the UCD community, many of our alumni also volunteer at events like the UCD Festival and mentor students during their studies. You can find more information about these opportunities here.

We look forward to welcoming you and your friends and family to this year’s Festival. It is sure to be a day to remember!

Mark Jackson