News

Dublin GAA and Ballymun Kickhams legend Paddy Christie will join Féile 2025 for a special conversation on his historic journey with Ballymun Kickhams, taking place at Seán Dolans GAC in Creggan on Sunday 10th August. 

Known for his leadership on the pitch and his commitment to community off it, Paddy will share his story and reflect on the powerful role the GAA plays in shaping the lives of young people in areas like Ballymun and Creggan.

A true legend of the game, Paddy Christie was a key player for the Dublin senior football team from 1995 to 2007. He captained Dublin in 2005, won three Leinster titles, and earned an All-Star award in 2002.

Fiercely proud of his roots in Ballymun Kickhams, he has long championed the GAA’s role beyond sport – as a force for good.

Over two decades, Christie has played a central role in the revival of Ballymun Kickhams – a club rooted in a working-class area often overlooked by outsiders.

Faced with limited resources, he helped rebuild the club by investing in youth coaching, strengthening community ties, and instilling pride and belief in its players which led to the team making history.

Ballymun Kickhams is now recognised as an example of what the GAA means to communities across Ireland – not just winning trophies but in building resilience, leadership, and hope. Christie’s deep understanding of sport as a driver of change will resonate strongly in an area Creggan, where the GAA is more than a game.

Expect insight, honesty, and plenty of laughs as Paddy shares stories from his own journey and his perspective on how the GAA shapes Ireland’s social fabric.

This conversation is one of many highlights of Féile 2025’s biggest-ever programme, with hundreds of events taking place right across the city from 6th to 15th August – the full programme can be viewed at feilederry.com/feile-2025.

Paddy Christie in conversation: The GAA’s Social Fabric
Seán Dolans GAC, Creggan, Sunday 10 August, 6pm
Register here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-gaas-social-fabric-paddy-christie-from-ballymun-kickhams-tickets-1478041725589

Féile Derry and legendary dance festival Celtronic are teaming up to host a special summer party at Sandino’s on Friday August 15th with Optimo (Espacio).

Optimo (Espacio) are the duo JD Twitch and JG Wilkes who have become renowned around the world for their memorable and ecstatic deejay sets with a unique disregard for genres and musical restrictions in their craft, creating a nightclub experience that strikes out into territories far beyond the accepted boundaries of club music.

Their Glasgow nightclub Optimo (Espacio) at the Sub Club is widely regarded as one of the most important and ground-breaking clubs of the past two decades.

In July 2025, Optimo announced that Keith (JD Twitch) had been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. We are shocked and saddened to have heard the news regarding Keith’s diagnosis. Our upcoming event will go ahead as planned with Jonnie continuing to carry the Optimo (Espacio) torch with the same spirit and passion they’ve always embodied.

Advance tickets: £10/12 at http://bit.ly/4kHpHII

Central Drive: The faces. The places. The spaces.

This is the heart of Creggan. As part of our ‘People Make Central Drive’ exhibition, Féile spoke to those who live, work, study and grew up here about what makes this street so special.

📸 The exhibition, created in collaboration with artist Molly Keane, is still on display at Holy Child Primary School. A Communities in Transition project, funded by the Executive Office.

The Volunteer Investment Project (VIP) at Féile has been awarded the Volunteer Friendly Award in recognition of its ongoing commitment to supporting community volunteers.

The award acknowledges the years of work that have gone into valuing and supporting volunteers – especially the young people who play a major part in organising successful community events.

Speaking after receiving the award at the Guildhall today, Elaine Doherty, Project Manager of the Volunteer Investment Project (VIP) said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to get this award and the recognition that comes with it. Our volunteers are at the heart of everything – their energy, ideas and commitment are the backbone of successful community events.

“Our volunteers have put in thousands of hours supporting different community events, including supporting thousands of people at family gatherings and music events and a range of other events.  

“Working with Volunteer Investment Project has really been a life-changing experience for our young people, helping them to build their confidence, getting work and life experience and also achieving recognised qualifications.

“Volunteering is about stepping up, being part of something, and making your community the best possible place to live. There is no better time to get involved, no matter what age you are.”

The Volunteer Investment Project is currently recruiting volunteers, with opportunities to learn, access qualifications and make a difference – especially as another packed summer of Féile events gets underway in August 2025.

Children from Long Tower PS, Nazareth House PS, Fountain PS, Gaelscoil Éadain Mhóir and St. Eugene’s PS recently took part in Made in Our City – My Shirt, My Story – a project exploring the history of the city’s shirt factories.

From the late 19th Century, Derry became a global centre for shirt-making and by the 1920s, the city was home to more than 40 factories, employing thousands of workers.

The factories were central to people’s daily lives, and their influence and legacy is still felt in many families across the city today.

Artist Caroline Devenney worked closely with the children, helping them to connect with the stories behind our city’s once thriving shirt-making industry and supporting them in creating their own textile-based artworks, while Deirdre Williams, an expert in the Shirt Factories, gave the children a real sense of the people who worked in the factories.

The fantastic pieces produced by the children are now part of Féile’s latest exhibition, currently on display at Abercorn Play Park, right next to the site of the old Tillie and Henderson shirt factory.

A big thank you to all the schools who took part – and to Caroline and Deirdre – for helping bring these important stories to life.

This project was part of Féile’s Connect:Interact:Create programme, supported by the Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund. 

‘Football at the Heart’ explores a remarkable footballing journey spanning over five decades in the Brandywell area of the city — a small housing estate, just half a mile in radius, that has produced some of Derry’s greatest sporting talents.

From the rise of Brandywell Harps, through the decline of local football, to the birth of Ballymoor FC and their long road home to the Daisy Field — a story shaped by community, dedication and a love of the game.

Now, football is back where it belongs — at the heart of the Brandywell.

A Communities in Transition project, funded by the Executive Office.

Féile’s ‘Lunch with a Laugh’ at the Bishop’s Gate Hotel was a huge success.

People from across the Bogside, Brandywell, Bishop Street and Fountain areas packed out the Bishop’s Gate Hotel for an amazing two course lunch, followed by a hilarious comedy set from one of the rising stars on the island’s comedy scene.

Paddy McDonnell, well-known for selling out venues across Britain and Ireland, recently completed a tour of Scotland and England—and he didn’t disappoint, leaving everyone in stitches.

A fantastic way to start off the week – with great food and great craic!

This event was part of Féile’s Connect:Interact:Create programme, supported by the Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund. 

Nailors Row came alive as children from four local primary schools took part in the second annual Anthony Hegarty 1km Dash.

Children from Gaelscoil Éadain Mhóir, Nazareth House PS, Long Tower PS, and St Eugene’s PS joined in the event to stay active and have fun while also celebrating our city’s athletic history.

The dash honours Anthony Hegarty, a renowned local athlete born in Nailors Row in December 1892. Hegarty brought pride to Derry as a silver medallist in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.

Malcolm McCausland, author of Lion for a Day, was at the event to share Hegarty’s inspiring story with the young people who took part in the fun run.

Féile would like to thank all the schools and the young people who took part in the dash. Their energy and excitement helped make it a successful event!

This event was organised in partnership with the Bogside & Brandywell Health Forum and supported by The Executive Office’s Central Good Relations Fund through Féile’s Connect:Interact:Create programme.

‘People Make Creggan’ is a new outdoor exhibition by Féile Derry celebrating Central Drive, the beating heart of the famous Creggan estate.  

The exhibition, created in collaboration with acclaimed photographer Molly Keane, showcases the people who make Central Drive a thriving community.

Central Drive is the beating heart of Creggan, home to shops, schools, and community centres that bring people together.

Through a series of compelling portraits, this exhibition celebrates the school children, young people, teachers, workers, residents, youth and community workers, and inspirational figures who are the face of this vibrant community.

Each photograph tells a story, capturing those who call this wonderful area home, and the hustle and bustle of one of the city’s busiest streets.

‘People Make Creggan’ which is made up of 60 photos, is now on display at Holy Child’s Primary School on Central Drive and we would invite everyone to come along and view this fantastic piece of artwork.

Féile would like to thank everyone who took part in this exhibition and to Molly Keane for her fantastic work in capturing these amazing portraits.

A Communities in Transition project, funded by the Executive Office.