Frederick Douglass Civil Rights Festival

Songs and civil-rights conversation.

The festival’s own retrospective lists an evening with Tommy and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey among its 2025 highlights. The year’s theme was neutrality, within a wider programme of arts, discussions and community activities. Tommy’s contribution formed part of a festival connecting the legacy of Frederick Douglass with contemporary civil-rights questions.

Why Frederick Douglass in Wexford?

The festival recalls the abolitionist’s visit to Ireland in 1845, including his journey to Wexford and speech in what were then the Assembly Rooms, now the Arts Centre. Its historical account also describes Douglass meeting Daniel O’Connell in Dublin and their shared opposition to slavery.

An evening within a wider festival

Founded in 2014 by Deirdre and Ed Barker, the festival connects that history with public discussion today. Its 2025 retrospective names the evening with Bernadette Devlin McAliskey and Tommy among the highlights. Alongside it were a community forum on neutrality, an art exhibition, a drumming workshop and a book and activist fair.

Culture as part of the conversation

The programme also included Ó Chroí, an intercultural gathering through food and music. Tommy’s appearance belonged to this wider mix of conversation, arts and community participation. The festival’s own history page preserves the 2025 programme and provides the background to its work.