Memory of a Free Festival at Wexford Arts Centre

What to Expect

Memory of a Free Festival occupies both the lower and upper galleries at Wexford Arts Centre and responds to the Carnsore Point anti-nuclear festivals held in County Wexford between 1978 and 1981, when thousands of people gathered in opposition to Ireland’s first proposed nuclear power station. The plant was never built, and the festivals became a reference point for Irish protest culture.

The exhibition brings together work by Orla Barry, Brian Duggan and Alanna O’Kelly alongside photographs by Derek Speirs and original documents produced by the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement, so contemporary art sits directly beside the archive it draws on. It is conceived by Ormston House in Limerick and presented in Wexford in partnership with them, as part of a tour running from March 2026 to March 2027 that also takes in Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen in early 2027. The opening reception took place on 8 August with Brendan Howlin speaking.

Good to Know

• Runs to Saturday 3 October 2026 at Wexford Arts Centre, Cornmarket, Wexford town
• Opening hours Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm
• Closed Sunday and Monday
• Artists: Orla Barry, Brian Duggan and Alanna O’Kelly, with photographs by Derek Speirs
• Includes original archival material from the Irish Anti-Nuclear Movement
• Presented in partnership with Ormston House, Limerick
• Phone 053 912 3764 to check hours before travelling

Getting There

Wexford Arts Centre is on Cornmarket in the centre of Wexford town, a couple of minutes from the Bull Ring and Main Street and roughly five minutes’ walk from the quay. Irish Rail runs from Dublin Connolly to O’Hanrahan Station on the quayfront in around two hours, and Bus Eireann and Wexford Bus coaches stop in the town centre. Use the quayfront car parks, since Main Street is pedestrianised.