Welcome to the Sixth Swift Satire Festival

Celebrating the life, works and legacy of Jonathan Swift

July 4th to July 7th 2013

                                  

Each year we bring together distinguished guests from the arts, politics, the media and comedy to celebrate satire in honour of Jonathan Swift.

RTE Radio 1 picked up on aspects of this in our festival in 2012 by presenting a report on Morning Ireland on Monday 9th July 2012, the day after the festival finished. Richard Dowling reports:
http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/player.html?20120709,3338938,3338938,flash,257

Swift was appointed vicar in Laracor, just out the road from Trim, in 1700. The author of such famous satires as Gulliver’s Travels, A Tale Of A Tub and A Modest Proposal, had many firm friends in the town of Trim itself.

Our festival is unique: no other festival in the world is dedicated to satire in all its forms (apart, maybe, from one in Iran that we haven’t been able to make it to as yet!) You might say that’s because Swift, or indeed satire, isn’t that important.

However, satire is important especially in today’s politically correct world. A satirist says things that others can’t say. They say things that make you laugh violently but then think silently. Generally, they use humour.

That’s why we bring Ireland’s leading satirical comedians together with politicians, media and academics to participate in Satire Day (here is a link to the 2012 ‘Satire Day’) curated by Paddy Cullivan.

We think that Dean Swift would be proud.

Note: This project (2012) has been co-financed by Meath Partnership through the Irish Department of Environment, Community and Local Government ‘Rural Development Programme Ireland 2007-2013’ and through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas.