SXSW

As we celebrate St Patrick’s Day all over the world, Ireland unveiled its first-ever, specially curated ‘Ireland House at South By,’ showcasing the best of Irish creativity in the fields of science, innovation, technology, culture and the arts.

South by Southwest (SXSW), is a combination of festivals and events that include film, interactive media, music and conferences on a range of subjects, and takes place in March each year in Austin, Texas. In 2023 over 345,000 people attended SXSW, coming from 127 different countries.

Ireland is a nation of storytellers, creators, innovators, migrants, explorers, and game-changers. Our creativity finds form through the arts, business, science, technology, and beyond.  Ireland House at SXSW, running from 11 – 15 March, will showcase the richness of our culture, creativity, and innovation.

The programme omprised of different events and cultural performances, many hosted in a dedicated ‘Ireland House’ venue, Marlow Bar, located in downtown Austin. The ‘Music From Ireland’ Showcase, a longstanding event at SXSW, took place one block away, in the Velveeta Room.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD attended Ireland House at SXSW and participate in a number of panels. 

Minister Martin said:

“I am looking forward to visiting Ireland House at South By this year and participating in a number of panel discussions, including one on the Basic Income for the Arts pilot I introduced in 2022.  This cross-Government and cross-Agency collaboration in developing Ireland House is to be welcomed and will showcase the best Ireland has to offer across Music, Film, Tech and Enterprise at this important annual international event.”

Ireland House at South By is a collaboration between Ireland’s Consulates in Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Culture Ireland, Screen Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Music from Ireland, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Michael Carey, Chairman of Enterprise Ireland said:

“Technology and creativity are in a renaissance period and Irish companies are blazing a trail pushing the boundaries of possibilities to deliver exciting new experiences and innovations. Ireland House at SXSW is an immense opportunity for Enterprise Ireland to showcase these trailblazers who are redefining the future of mobility, work, technology and the commercial creative sector– from the Giant Company who are merging artistry and cutting-edge technology to deliver the world’s tallest moving statue, to Manna who are undertaking the world’s largest drone delivery trial, and Imvizar, the “Netflix for AR”, who are launching the world’s first no-code AR storytelling platform.”