Kilkenny Law Festival set to return next month with powerful programme

Kilkenny Law Festival has announced the full programme taking place across Kilkenny City from March 6 to 8, bringing together leading lawyers, journalists, broadcasters, artists and campaigners to explore the most urgent legal issues shaping Irish society today.

Across three days and multiple venues, the festival will examine themes including free speech, protest and terrorism law, defamation and media power, the gig economy, criminal justice, immigration and asylum, mental health in the legal profession, forensic science, energy law, AI and the courts, and the legacy of some of the State’s most controversial trials.

The festival opens on Friday evening (March 6) at the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel with Art, Protest and Terrorism Law: The Kneecap Prosecution, examining the legal boundaries of artistic expression and political protest, featuring Kneecap manager Dan Lambert, human rights lawyer, Darragh Mackin and Sarah Carey.

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Earlier that afternoon at the Pembroke Hotel, Flexible Work, Fragile Rights explores the legal realities of the gig economy, while Free Speech on Trial examines libel, defamation and power in modern Ireland, with leading legal and media voices including Michael O'Doherty and Micheal Smith.

Saturday delivers a packed, full-day programme across the Set Theatre, Pembroke Hotel, the Home Rule Club and Kilkenny Ormonde.

Highlights include:

Fifth Court Podcast Live, bringing one of Ireland’s leading legal podcasts to the stage.

Provos, Politics and the Legacy of the 1970 Arms Trial, revisiting one of the defining moments in Irish political and legal history.

Drawing Justice, where Ireland’s only court artist reflects on observing power, trauma and truth inside the courtroom.

Crime, Cash and Consequences, offering a rare insight into how the State seizes the proceeds of crime.

CSI Kilkenny, separating forensic fact from television fiction.

Spiked! The Stories Not Fit to Print, lifting the lid on the journalism that never makes it past the lawyers.

Panels at the Pembroke Hotel include: Mental Health and the Legal Profession, Judge, My Lawyer Is a ChatBot!, on AI and the law, Legal Tourism and high-value commercial litigation and Who Decides Ireland’s Energy Future?, examining EU energy law and climate policy.

Saturday evening at Ormonde Kings features the festival’s flagship criminal justice panels, culminating in Justice on Trial: Inside Ireland’s Criminal Courts, followed by a live recording of the Crime World Podcast with Nicola Tallant.

Sunday’s programme combines law, journalism and storytelling, including: Serving the Papers, a live brunch-time show bringing together journalists and lawyers, Who Gets to Stay? And Who Says?, a timely examination of immigration and asylum law, A screening and discussion of The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid and a special RTÉ documentary presentation.

Kilkenny Law Festival is designed for both legal professionals and the wider public, making complex legal issues accessible, engaging and relevant. Events are presented through panel discussions, live podcasts, interviews, screenings and conversations, encouraging debate and participation.

Speaking ahead of the festival, co-founder Naoise Nunn said the programme reflects “a moment when law is not just something happening quietly in courtrooms, but a force shaping culture, politics, media and everyday life.”

Tickets and full programme details are available at www.kilkennylawfestival.com