

People walk over over Ha'penny Bridge in Dublin, Ireland. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Ireland, one of the European Union countries hardest hit by the Great Recession, is slowly emerging from its economic meltdown. St. Patrick’s night seems like the appropriate evening to reflect on the country’s history, ancient and modern, and ruminate about Ireland’s potential futures. Live from the Round Room in Dublin’s Mansion House — scene of an Irish declaration of independence in 1919 — a diverse collection of musicians, artists and thinkers will take part in an event called “We Need to Talk About Ireland.”

The 90-minute, eclectic spectacle will be streamed live on WorldViews at 5 p.m. EST on Monday, March 17. Watch a preview of the show below:

“It’s a creative exploration of all the parts of us,” one of the organizers, Kathy Scott, told the Irish Times. “We are looking at our values, perspectives and meaning-making as individuals, communities and as a nation. We are now at a post post-traumatic stage in our story of Ireland. We are out of the crash, have absorbed the shock and what happens next? How do we integrate all of it and start over again?” This promising discourse will include informal and brief talks on subjects that range from Ireland’s monastic past to storytelling, post-collapse.

Among the speakers are the poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, filmmaker Pat Collins, comedian Eleanor Tiernan, and a farmer and rural philosopher from County Clare, Patrick McCormack. The conversation will be interspersed with traditional singing in Gaelic, known as Sean-nós, or old style, fiddle-playing and performances by several choirs. Viewers can contribute to the discussion at: #Irelandtalks #pureirish.