The Law Unlocked: A New Festival of Legal Ideas

A brand new festival has been launched in Kilkenny today with the aim of “bringing lightness and insight to the law". The event takes place from Friday, May 16th to Sunday May 18th in Kilkenny City.

Set up by Kilkenomics festival co-director and producer, Naoise Nunn; together with barrister and podcast host, Mark Tottenham; and legal tech founder, Enda Leahy, Kilkenny Law Festival is a weekend of engaging and entertaining events examining contemporary and historic legal subjects, aimed at bringing a greater understanding of the law to a wider audience.

The lineup includes Judges Alice Doyle, Marguerite Bolger (both from Kilkenny) and Judge Richard Humphreys; author, Mark O’Connell (also from Kilkenny); legal academics, Colin Harvey and Larry Donnelly; barristers Mark Tottenham, Peter Leonard, Michael O’Doherty and Sarah Freeman; criminal defence solicitor Michael Lanigan (from Kilkenny); journalists Nicola Tallant, Sarah Carey, Niall Donald and Dearbhail McDonald; film maker Sinéad O’Shea; historians Donal Fallon and Sergeant Paul Maher; legal tech experts Niall Roche and Dr. Alastair Moore; and comedians Colm O’Regan and Paddy Cullivan.

Shows include a screening of Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story by Sinéad O’Shea, a talk on censorship; fireside chats and podcasts with judges; a discussion on a new Constitution for a United Ireland; mapping the future of legal tech and AI; a coming American constitutional crisis; a debate on libel, defamation and the media; Mark O’Connell on the Malcolm McArthur murders; the merger of the Garda Siochána and DMP 100 years ago; the Crime World podcast with Nicola Tallant; the Murder of Wolfe Tone with Paddy Cullivan; and a legal-eyed review of the Sunday newspapers.

The festival takes place at the Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny and historic Hole in the Wall venue from Friday, May 16th to Sunday May 18th. Tickets and schedule are available at www.kilkennylawfestival.com