Delve into some of the defining issues of our time and explore creativity with a line-up of world-renowned artists, journalists, broadcasters, academics and writers in the 2026 First Thought Talks series as part of Galway International Arts Festival this July.
Topics will include: recent wars in the Ukraine, Gaza and the Middle East, Irish neutrality, Trump’s presidency and America in 2026, where we are with AI, Ireland in the 1920s and 1970s, creative theatrical partnerships, a love of song, climate change and retrofitting our homes and so much more. Booking is now open for First Thought Talks and the full GIAF 2026 programme.
These talks are always a very popular part of the festival, bringing leading voices together in Galway to explore creativity and the defining issues of our time. They will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall, University of Galway over two weekends in July – 17/18/19 July and 25/26 July.
Guests will include journalists and broadcasters Bel Trew, Fintan O’Toole, Dearbhail McDonald, Lara Marlowe, Marion McKeone, Adrian Weckler, Sally Hayden and Catriona Crowe, the First Thought curator; artists, writers and directors Garry Hynes, Sean Henry, Colm Tóibín, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Martina Evans, Theo Dorgan, Andrew O’Hagan and Paula Meehan, academics Sadhbh O’Neill, Roger Derham and Catriona Clear, author and critic Ben Brantley, amongst a host of others.
Topics will include recent wars in the Ukraine, Gaza and the Middle East; Irish neutrality; Trump’s presidency and America in 2026; where we are with AI; Ireland in the 1920s and 1970s; creative theatrical partnerships; a love of song; climate change and retrofitting our homes.
“The First Thoughts series is always a great jamboree of challenging ideas, stimulating conversations and deep reflections. We've never needed rational discussion more urgently and First Thoughts satisfies that hunger for lively engagement in a friendly atmosphere.” Fintan O’Toole
Drunken Driving - Martina Evans and Theo Dorgan in conversation with Roger Derham (18 July, 12.30pm)
Martina Evans’s new long poem, Drunken Driving, touches on marriage breakdown, radiology, British prisons and female struggle. She will be joined by poet, novelist and broadcaster Theo Dorgan to talk about these issues.
Neutrality: A Rational Conversation - Martin Senn, Conor Gallagher and Lara Marlowe, in conversation with Dearbhail McDonald (17 July, 6pm)
Irish neutrality is a controversial topic. To have a practical discussion about how to proceed, we have Professor Martin Senn, expert on Austrian neutrality; Conor Gallagher, Security Correspondent, The Irish Times; and Lara Marlowe, writer on European issues, including the war in Ukraine.
A Few Good Men - Theo Dorgan in conversation with Sarah-Anne Buckley (18 July, 4pm).
Theo Dorgan’s latest novel, Camarade, is a remarkable exploration of good, ethical Irish and other men involved in struggles ranging from the War of Independence to the Spanish Civil War to the French Resistance. The opposite to toxic masculinity.
Human Presence - Sean Henry in conversation with Paul Fahy (15 July, 11am)
Step inside the world of acclaimed sculptor Sean Henry as he reflects on Presence, his major GIAF 2026 exhibition. Discover how his quietly powerful figures capture moments of stillness, vulnerability and everyday life, blurring the line between sculpture and reality.
Falling Fertility and its Consequences - Rhona O’Mahony and Dearbhail McDonald in conversation with Caroline McGregor (18 July, 11am).
Rhona O’Mahony, former Master of the National Maternity Hospital, sees falling birth rates as a national and international problem. She is joined by Dearbhail McDonald, well- known journalist and broadcaster, to discuss Ireland’s falling birthrate and its implications.
For and Against a United Ireland - Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride in conversation with Dearbhail McDonald (18 July, 2.30pm)
The book For and Against a United Ireland by Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride has centred the debate on a potential future united Ireland with impeccable research and started conversations all over the country and internationally.
From the Front Lines - Bel Trew in conversation with Fintan O’Toole (18 July, 5.30pm)
Bel Trew is the internationally acclaimed foreign correspondent for the London Independent, who has reported from the Middle East, Ukraine and, most recently, Minneapolis. Her documentary film, The Body in the Woods, follows attempts by Ukrainians to find relatives of dead victims of Russian war crimes.
Can Ordinary People Afford to Retrofit? - Sadhbh O’Neill in conversation with Jamie Goggins (19 July, 12.30pm)
There are complaints that government schemes to make our houses warmer and less fossil-fuel dependent are both overly bureaucratic and skewed toward the better off. Sadhbh O’Neill, lecturer in climate change policy and politics, and climate and energy law at DCU and TU Dublin, respectively, tells her own story and proposes changes.
Rory Gallagher's Guitar - Paula Meehan in conversation with Caitriona Clear (19 July, 11am)
Paula Meehan has been commissioned by the Tenement Museum, the National Museum and other institutions to write poems reflecting on 20th century Irish history, lived experiences and iconic artifacts. She will be talking about how these poems illuminate our complicated past.
The Room Where it Happened - Ben Brantley in conversation with Paul Fahy (19 July, 2pm)
Join acclaimed writer and former New York Times chief theatre critic Ben Brantley for a wide-ranging conversation on the craft of criticism, the shifting world of theatre and musicals, and the performances that have defined our time.
Strange Country - Ireland in America - Garry Hynes and Francis O'Connor in conversation with Patrick Lonergan (20 July, 2pm)
Director, Garry Hynes and Designer, Francis O’Connor reflect on a creative partnership that has shaped the visual and dramatic language of Druid Theatre Company for over three decades.
On Friendship - Andrew O’Hagan in conversation with Brendan Kelly (25 July, 11am)
Andrew O’Hagan has written a book about one of the most important human relationships and its joys, rewards, conflicts and sadnesses. He will discuss the issues with psychiatrist Brendan Kelly.
Partition, Independence, Assassination and Jazz; Ireland in the 1920s – Diarmaid Ferriter, Gearoid O’Tuathaigh and Ann Dolan in conversation (25 July, 12.30pm)
Diarmaid Ferriter, Gearoid O’Tuathaigh and Ann Dolan will discuss an underexplored decade, which saw a vicious civil war, the birth of a divided state, the growth of Catholic conservatism, fear and trembling at the prospect of jazz, American movies and British tabloids sweeping the country, the beginnings of Fianna Fáil and the Great Depression.
Singing - Colm Tóibín in conversation with Iarla Ó Lionáird (25 July, 5.30pm)
Novelist Colm Tóibín loves Irish traditional singing. Iarla Ó Lionáird is one of the foremost exponents of the art. They will talk about singing as art and craft, about Iarla’s illustrious singing ancestry and connection with The Gloaming, and Colm’s long-term love of the genre and use of it in his fiction. With examples of Iarla’s performances.
War, Tariffs, ICE and the Price of Gas - Fintan O’Toole and Marion McKeone in conversation (25 July, 4pm)
Fintan O’Toole and Marion McKeone, two of the best-informed journalists on US affairs discuss.
What Were We Like - The Pope in Galway with Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe (25 July, 2pm)
In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Galway during his historic three-day trip to Ireland, celebrating a massive Youth Mass for approximately 300,000 people at Ballybrit Racecourse. During this event, he declared, “Young people of Ireland, I love you,”. Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe will explore this pivotal moment in a live edition of their popular podcast, What Were We Like.
AI: So What Happens Next? - Adrian Weckler in conversation Elaine Burke (26 July, 11am)
How prepared are we for what comes next, and who, if anyone, is equipped to set the limits? To explore these questions, Irish Independent Technology Editor Adrian Weckler joins journalist and For Tech’s Sake host Elaine Burke for a timely and wide-ranging conversation.
The Wounds of Palestine and Love Stories of Conflict - Nick Maynard and Sally Hayden in conversation with Catriona Crowe (26 July, 12.30pm)
Dr. Nick Maynard has visited Gaza for several tours of duty with Medical Aid for Palestinians. Sally Hayden is a much-awarded journalist who has been living in Lebanon. Her new book, This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World, tells inspiring human stories about people affected by war.
Vinyl Hours brings Festival artists into conversation with music maestro Tiernan Henry for a series of lively, music-filled talks (26 July, 12.30pm)
Part talk, part listening session, this is a chance to hear the music behind the artists, and the records that inspired them long before they took to the stage.
Galway International Arts Festival’s First Thought Talks series is presented in association with University of Galway.
