There's lots for music fans to take in at the Dublin Festival of History

With over 140 events taking place in total, there is sure to be something for everyone at the Dublin Festival of History, which has gotten underway this week and will run until the 7th of October. The festival will provide a series of events on a range of topics across a wide variety of venues around Dublin, ranging from as small as local libraries to as big as City Hall and Dublin Castle.

There'll be a lot for specifically music fans to take in, with some of the events focusing on a varied group of genres and artists from the past and present.

Perhaps most notably, as 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Feel No Shame, the debut album of Aslan, front man Christy Dignam will be in attendance to talk about the record and his life and career beyond it. The interview will be hosted by Donal Fallon and take place at Finglas Library on October 3rd.

‘Johnny Cash and the Politics of Country Music’ will be a talk hosted by historian Daniel Geary on the 50th anniversary of the country icon's At Folsom Prison album. Held in the Central Library at the ILAC Centre next Monday, Geary will discuss the record in context of  the America that existed upon its release, and argue against the idea that country music is intrinsically conservative.

The Dublin festival will also shine a strong spotlight upon women’s suffrage and rights. There will be an exhibition titled 'Suffragist City: Women and the Vote in Dublin' hosted at Richmond Barracks that will run throughout the duration of the festival, with traditional musicians Mairéad O’Donnell, Aisling Keogh and Derek Copley performing alongside the event. In addition to this, taking place in the foyer of the Printworks at Dublin Castle on the 6th of October will be the 'Sing for Suffrage' pop-up choir, who will be performing a song written specifically for the festival which celebrates the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote. Rehearsals for the performance will take place this Saturday at the Central Library, with any members of the public who would be interested to get involved encouraged to do so.

There's also a spate of other events taking place over the course of the next couple of weeks for music fans alongside the small selection above, from performances to discussions and illustrations of the art's relevance to Irish history. You can check out the full programme for the Dublin Festival of History at dublinfestivalofhistory.ie, which is advised as, despite all events being free, advance booking is required for some.