Memory of a Free Festival is a touring exhibition and event programme presented by Ormston House, launching in spring of 2026. Our project draws on and rejoins the Anti-Nuclear festivals that took place annually in Carnsore Point on Ireland’s south-east coast between 1978 and 1981. 

Organised by a coalition of political and environmental activists, the now-legendary festivals were attended by thousands unified by a shared opposition to what would have been Ireland’s first nuclear power plant. Unprecedented in the cultural and political history of the nation, these festivals were a testament to the potential of people power and music as catalysts for social change.

Artworks by Orla Barry, Brian Duggan, and Alanna O’Kelly are at the heart of Memory of a Free Festival. For several years Duggan has researched the festivals and the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement. His works draw upon the potent historical material from that milieu. Barry’s new moving image work addresses the subject speculatively. Combining her writing with an improvised ‘musical-memory-journey’ developed with musician Paul Bradley, she weaves an evocative narrative where fact and mythos merge. Images by O’Kelly provide a visual and historical anchor. The event programme includes a ‘sound screening’ of Chant Down Greenham. This work was originally made in 1984 in response to the Women’s Peace Camp established at Greenham Common to protest the presence of nuclear missiles in the UK. Also included is a selection of printed archival material pertaining to the festival and original footage of the 1978 and 1979 festivals that has thus far been unseen.

Historical completism is not within the purview of this project, but a key aim is to tap into experiences and memories of those who were there and what it meant to them. With this in mind the event programme features contributions from several of those who attended or were involved in organising or performing at the festivals.

Launching with an event at Project Arts Centre, Dublin in March 2026, the exhibition will open at Ormston House in April and move to Wexford Arts Centre and Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre. Each iteration of the exhibition will be accompanied by site-responsive facets.

We will soon announce an open call for submissions to the Limerick iteration of this exhibition. Full information will be sent to our members via our membership mailing list. Artists must be signed up to our free Membership Scheme, which you can join here.

Design by Bureau Bonanza. Hand symbol based on 1978 design by William Finnie.

Memory of a Free Festival is a touring exhibition supported by The Arts Council of Ireland and Limerick Arts Office.