The 8th edition of the Mother Tongues Festival kicked off in Tallaght on February 21 and 22, bringing together artists, families, and community leaders to celebrate Ireland’s linguistic and cultural diversity. As Ireland’s largest festival dedicated to multilingualism and the arts, it once again proved to be a powerful space for connection, creativity, and belonging.
This year, the festival focused on the voices of second-generation children and young people growing up in Ireland, exploring how language, identity, and heritage shape their experiences. Through a programme of performances, workshops, exhibitions, and discussions, the festival highlighted how multilingualism strengthens communities and fosters a sense of belonging.
One of the standout moments of this year’s festival was the opening of I Live Here, a compelling photographic exhibition by Aarif Amod. Showcasing striking portraits of second-generation Irish children and young people from diverse backgrounds, the exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to hear the personal stories behind each image, sparking meaningful conversations about identity and belonging.
The festival launch event, A Sense of Belonging – The Journey of 20 Years with IACI, featured powerful speeches from key figures in Ireland’s cultural landscape. Leon Diop, Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at the Arts Council, spoke passionately about the festival’s theme, emphasizing:
Different languages and cultures are not barriers but bridges: they connect communities and foster human experiences.
Leon Diop
Head of EDI at the Arts Council
Yemi Ojo, Chairperson of the South Dublin Migrant Integration Forum, also shared her reflections on two decades of fostering inclusion in South Dublin. Describing Mother Tongues Festival 2025 as “a huge success,” she praised the festival team for their dedication to highlighting the work of the IACI Social Inclusion Summer Camp.
South Dublin’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Alan Hayes, reinforced the significance of hosting the festival in such a diverse community, stating:
Over 72 languages are now spoken in Ireland. It’s significant that this festival is taking place in South Dublin, which is home to the largest culturally diverse population in Ireland.
Cllr Alan Hayes
Deputy Lord Mayor
Creativity, Expression and Multilingual Voices Take Centre Stage
Beyond the opening event, the festival offered a rich and diverse programme of artistic experiences for all ages.
The soulful, high-energy performance by The Barceló Brothers had audiences on their feet, while Red Boots, from a fascinating collaboration between deaf and hearing dancers Andile Vellem and Jori Snell, enchanted families with its poetic, physical storytelling that transcended language barriers. Theatre Arts held an open rehearsal of Red Boots exclusively for the Language Explorer Artists facilitators and Mother Tongues staff, offering a unique glimpse into the creative process behind this poetic production. The artists Andile and Jori, with director, Caroline Calburn, shared insights into how the piece came to life, blending movement, sign, and sound to craft its magical world. It was truly moving to witness the conversation between deaf parents, children, and the artists, made possible by the incredible joint work of ISL and SASL interpreters, who broke the language barrier in the most beautiful and seamless way.
What a wonderfully unique and engaging festival celebrating an often glossed over and generally never celebrated phenomenon – the culturally and linguistically diverse family.[…] Our experience of the festival was wonderful, warm and intimate. The two performances had the most perfect audiences and the experience of performing for such a mix of families with their little children was wonderful. The accessible nature of the festival also created the opportunity for us to really engage with the parents and artists, which was very meaningful for us as a group of artists bringing a production to the festival.
Caroline Calburn
Red Boots Director
The festival also welcomed the final showcase of Where We Live and Play, a collaborative community project developed in partnership with Scoil Aoife Community National School in City West. For the second consecutive year, pupils took part in a creative exploration of belonging, identity, and community, culminating in a giant map illustrating their neighbourhoods through visual arts and music. Under the guidance of artists Debora Adachi and Pius Ojo, children aged 9 to 10, along with their younger siblings, crafted a shared artistic vision of the places they live and play. The final exhibition, unveiled on Saturday, provided a vibrant and heartfelt representation of their multilingual world.
Two other classes from Scoil Aoife, worked with artist Paola Invernizzi in the weeks leading up to the Festival. Inspired by Matisse’s cut-outs, Language in Art engaged young artists from two school classes in a dynamic exploration of their mother tongues through visual expression. Representing over 30 different languages, the children painted, created cut-outs, and named everyday objects in their respective languages, bridging the visual and verbal through collaborative storytelling. Parents also played a role, engaging with their children during and after the workshops, further enriching the experience of multilingual expression and promoting the Language Awareness curriculum in the school.
Another striking feature of this year’s festival was My Working Space, an installation created as part of A Journey for Change, a cross-border collaboration between Mother Tongues and ArtsEkta, funded by The Shared Island Civic Society Fund. This installation invited visitors to immerse themselves in the creative processes of six artists from diverse, migrant, and minority ethnic backgrounds. Through video interviews and interactive workspaces, audiences explored themes of resistance, reconciliation, and cultural exchange, gaining deeper insight into the experiences of artists working across communities in the North and South of Ireland. The installation served as a powerful reminder of the role of art in fostering dialogue, understanding, and social change. More about the project soon.
For those eager to learn through creative exploration, interactive workshops brought languages and traditions to life. It was fantastic to have, for the first time, at the Festival workshops in Yoruba, Korean and Lámh.
A Festival That Continues to Grow
Since its inception in 2017, the Mother Tongues Festival has remained committed to supporting bilingual families and promoting multilingualism through the creative arts. Founder Dr Francesca La Morgia explains: “Belonging means something different to a parent and to a child. For parents, it may be about holding on to their roots or ensuring their child integrates fully into the majority culture. For children, however, belonging is often a more fluid experience, shaped by the blending of languages, traditions, and identities. Feeling that you can be yourself in a space, whoever you may be, is the true foundation of belonging.”
Mother Tongues Festival 2025 reaffirmed the transformative power of language and the arts in fostering inclusion. By providing a platform for multilingual voices, the festival continues to bridge cultures, celebrate identity, and strengthen community connections.
A huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers who dedicated their time, energy, and passion to making this festival a success. Their kindness, enthusiasm, and commitment truly brought the spirit of Mother Tongues to life! And, of course, a massive shout-out to our fantastic festival team, whose hard work, creativity and dedication made every moment of this event possible. Behind the scenes, they poured their hearts into every detail, and it showed in the joy, connection, and inspiration that filled these days.
We can’t wait to see what next year’s edition will bring!
Mother Tongues Festival is supported and funded by the Arts Council, South Dublin County Council, South Dublin Outdoors, Languages Connect, Rua Red, the Civic Theatre and RTÉ Supporting the Arts.
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