Mother Tongues Festival: Celebration takes place in Rua Red and The Civic Theatre

“Language is a very important part of our identity, and linguistic diversity enriches our society,” says Tony Fegan, Creative Producer of the 8th Mother Tongues Festival, which will take place in Dublin on February 21 and 22 at Rua Red and Civic Theatre, Tallaght.

Ireland’s largest celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity.

The Mother Tongues Festival will feature exciting and immersive performances, workshops, talks and exhibitions highlighting the power of multilingualism in uniting communities.

Over 72 languages are now spoken in Ireland (source: CSO), contributing to this country’s rich social fabric.

Mother Tongues was founded in 2017 to assist bilingual families in Ireland and is the first social enterprise to use a creative arts-based approach in empowering parents and children to embrace their mother tongues.

Mother Tongues Festival 2025 is shining a spotlight on the voices of second-generation children and young people growing up in Ireland, exploring the connections between language, identity and culture. Highlights of the festival include:

‘I Live Here’, a thought-provoking photographic exhibition by Aarif Amod exploring the profound themes of belonging and community.

‘The Barceló Brothers’ young Galway brothers Séamus and Micheál Barceló speak five languages and perform a fun music gig for children with their father Miquel.

‘Red Boots’ from Cape Town, a show created by the unique collaboration between deaf and hearing dancers Andile Vellem and Jori Snell.

‘Letters from the King’, a workshop exploring King Sejong’s story through drama, tailored for children aged 6-8 and their parents.

‘A Journey into Yoruba Traditions’ An engaging workshop that brings the Yoruba culture to life.

‘A Sense of Belonging – The Journey of 20 Years’, a panel discussion with South Dublin Migrant Integration Forum on how migrant communities self-organise to ensure that their children and young people growing up as Irish citizens are also connected with their cultural heritage and language.

Other events include ‘Home Sweet Home, Language Sweet Language’, an English and Japanese workshop where participants craft their family’s story in an origami house; ‘Taller de Pintaderas’, a Spanish and English workshop exploring the ancient art of ‘Pintaderas’ clay stamps; ‘Lámh, Lámh Eile’, a workshop exploring the story of St Brigid through verbal and non-verbal language, mime and visuals’ ; and a Fighting Words workshop with Ola Majekodunmi and Nora Nic Con Ultaigh along with live drawing by Tarsila Kruse.

“Over 72 languages are spoken in Ireland, and we want to encourage this second generation to keep their language alive.”

Tony continues. “Our mission is to empower bilingual children through creativity and the arts so they can grow up confident in their linguistic and cultural identity.

‘The festival creates a vibrant space for play, connection and learning and highlights the power of multilingualism in uniting these communities.”

The Mother Tongues Festival events take place on February 21 and 22 at Rua Red and the Civic Theatre, Tallaght. Discover the Mother Tongues Festival 2025 full programme HERE.

Mother Tongues Festival 2025 is supported by The Arts Council, South Dublin County Council, RTE Supporting the Arts, Dublin Outdoors, Languages Connect, Rua Red and The Civic Theatre.