The Kennedy Summer School is set to launch its 2025 programme with a screening of the documentary From That Small Island, narrated by Hollywood star Colin Farrell, on Thursday, August 28th.

The Kennedy Summer School is a distinguished annual festival celebrating Irish and American history, politics, and culture.

Held over three days in New Ross, County Wexford, events are hosted at landmark venues, including the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, St. Michael’s Theatre, and the Dunbrody Visitor Centre—located on the very quayside from which JFK’s great-grandfather departed for America in 1848.

This year’s speakers include Dan O’Brien, Chief Economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, author Colm Tóibín, Dr Brian Murphy director of the Kennedy Summer School, Dr. Aisling McEvoy, Head of Enterprise Partnerships at Research Ireland and president of the GAA, Jarlath Burns.

On the opening evening, guests will be welcomed by Jarlath Burns, President of the GAA, who will then take part in a fireside chat with Eileen Dunne, Chairperson of the Kennedy Summer School.

There will then be a discussion about the making of the Colin Farrell-narrated documentary From That Small Island.

The film’s writer & producer, Bríona Nic Dhiarmada, historian Prof. Jane Ohlmeyer, composer Colm Mac Con Iomaire, and director Peter Murphy will explore the film’s creation and themes in a conversation moderated by Eamonn Hore. 

The film is one part of a highly ambitious public history project, which also includes a four-part television series as well as a book written by Nic Dhiarmada and Ohlmeyer, which will be published by Oxford University Press in 2026.

The film will be shown in Mexico and in South America in September and will also be screened in Chicago, New York and Boston in early November.

The documentary, which was filmed in 17 countries around the world, is described as providing "a powerful, reflective narrative of cultural and global identity".

The film itself is a passion project of one of the directors of the Kennedy Summer School, Professor Briona Nic Dhiarmada.

Briona is the Thomas J. & Kathleen M. O'Donnell Professor Emerita of Irish Studies and concurrent professor of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame. 

She is the author of over 35 screenplays and has produced several documentaries. 

Professor Nic Dhiarmada, who is from New Ross, said: “It’s deeply moving to bring From That Small Island to my hometown where I grew up.

"New Ross has such a strong sense of history and community, and to share this exploration of Irish identity here is a homecoming in the truest sense.

"This is a film about belonging, memory, and the threads that tie us across generations and oceans. I hope the audience here will see themselves reflected on screen, and that it sparks conversations about who we are as a people—conversations that will continue long after the credits roll.”

Business Plus were recently announced as the offical Media Partner for the Kennedy Summer School

There are a handful of tickets left for the opening night, for details and booking, see www.kennedysummerschool.ie