← All events
arts · Saturday 8 August 2026 · Various 
Memory of a Free Festival Exhibition at Wexford Arts Centre
At Wexford Arts Centre · Cornmarket, Wexford, Co. Wexford
At Wexford Arts Centre · Cornmarket, Wexford, Co. Wexford
Memory of a Free Festival occupies both the lower and upper galleries at Wexford Arts Centre from 8 August to 3 October. The exhibition looks back at the Carnsore Point anti-nuclear festivals held in County Wexford between 1978 and 1981, when thousands of people gathered on the south Wexford coast in opposition to Ireland’s proposed first nuclear power plant. Those gatherings mixed music and lectures with workshops and exhibitions, and the show treats them as a cultural event as much as a protest.
The exhibition sets contemporary artworks alongside historical material. Work by Orla Barry, Brian Duggan and Alanna O’Kelly hangs with archival photographs by Derek Speirs and documents from the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement. It is a touring show organised by Ormston House with Arts Council funding. The opening reception took place on 8 August with Brendan Howlin speaking, and a closing event is planned for 3 October. A guided gallery talk is scheduled for Culture Night on Friday 18 September at 6:30 PM, which is free but must be booked.
Wexford Arts Centre is in the Cornmarket, in the pedestrian heart of Wexford town, a short walk up from the quay front and Main Street. Drive in on the N11 from Dublin and Gorey or the N25 from New Ross and Rosslare Europort. Wexford O’Hanrahan railway station, on the Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort line, is roughly ten minutes’ walk. Paid parking is available on the quays and in the town centre car parks, and daytime gallery visits are easiest mid-morning.
Heading to Wexford Arts Centre in Wexford? Wexford has plenty more to see. Read the Wexford area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.