Economics, comedy and festivals: three words not normally strung together in a sentence, but kicking off today (October 10th) on Kilkenny's Medieval Mile, Kilkenomics will merge these concepts.
For the seventh year running, a host of journalists, world renowned economists and comedians will tackle the topics thrust about the headlines, from waking up on Wednesday morning to those US presidential results (and its consequences) to the digital future for the county’s residents - a wealth of topics are covered across 35+ events.
Started in 2010 as a response to the economic downturn, Kilkenomics brought some classic gallows humour to the darkest hours of the recession, creating an irreverent and essential platform to bust through the jargon behind the headlines. “The festival firmly has its finger on the pulse of current Irish and world issues," says economist and co-founder David McWilliams, "and is four days of demystifying economics with the world’s best minds.”
The festival is becoming bigger and more popular with each inception. On one side of the discussions are guests like Professor of Behavioral Economics Dan Ariely (whose Ted Talks have been watched nearly eight million times), 'undercover' economist Tim Harford, former Milton Friedman associate Deirdre McCloskey and Eurozone debt crisis predictor Stephanie Keltin; on the other, we have author and the quick-thinking compare of The Moth, Colm O’Regan, Celebrity Operation Transformation star Karl Spain, the hugely popular Dara Ó Briain and quick-witted Irish-American comedian Des Bishop. The line-up is as diverse as the concept of the festival itself.
So what do a collection of comics know about economics? The answer, for those joining Kilkenomics for the first time, is fair-to-reasonable amount. They are there on the side of the audience, to break down the terminology and lighten the load. Kilkenomics is a place for anyone who wants to understand more about how economics, the financial world and geopolitics effect the every day. You'll laugh, and might even learn something, too.
Some Kilkenomics highlights to head along to this year:
Smash and Grab: The Economics of Irish Wage Claims: With a winter of strikes effecting the security and education of Irish citizens, the panel discusses why this new wave of wage claims has reached this point? Are they justified? And where will the money come from? (Friday, 10.30pm, Hole In The Wall)
Brexit: Could England’s Difficulty be Ireland’s Opportunity? On Saturday afternoon, panelists will discuss the consequences of June’s vote by Britain to leave the EU and how it will affect Ireland in March 2017 (Saturday, 4.00pm, Watergate Theatre)
Trump/Clinton: Are We Witnessing the Beginning of a New American Civil War? As the world reacts to Wednesday’s news of the new President Elect of the US a panel of experts will discuss look at the new leader of the Free World (Saturday, 9pm, Ormonde Kilbride)
Also: A review of the most important economic events of 2017 closes out the festival, with some of the best and brightest of the line-up gazing into the future for the global economy. Considering the tumultuous events of the past few days, it should prove rather interesting. (Sunday, 5.30pm, The Set Theatre)
