Irish Jazz Forum Holds Second National Plenary at The Digital Hub

The Irish Jazz Forum held its second national plenary gathering on 20 March at The Digital Hub in Dublin 8, bringing together representatives from across the country alongside international delegates connected to the Better Live programme.

A total of 14 members attended in person, with a further two participants joining online. While attendance was smaller than the inaugural meeting, all regions were represented, reflecting a continued national spread of engagement.

Thanks are extended to those who travelled to be present.

A key strength of the day was the participation of international delegates from nine countries, Spain, France, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and Greece. These delegates were in Dublin for the final Better Live meeting, which took place the previous day, and their presence significantly contributed to both the overall discussions and the focused working group sessions. Their input provided practical insight into how similar structures and initiatives operate in different European contexts.

The morning session brought all attendees together to review progress to date, outline current priorities, and frame the next phase of development for the Forum. This included a series of presentations from invited contributors, setting the context for the discussions that followed.

President of the Europe Jazz Network Karolina Juzwa gave an introduction to the work fo EJN, and the possibilities it explores for collaboration across the jazz scene. Lyon's Pierre Dugelay outlined the history of Le Périscope jazz club and its journey from an artist collective - led rehearsal space to a recognised national venue hosting year-round performances and residencies. Annamaija Saarela - Director of GLivelab in Tampere - spoke about the creation of the GLivelab venues and their development between the Finnish Musicians' Union and GenElec as a Finnish-based sound company. Finally Plataforma Jazz España's coordinator Marina Fernandez spoke about the recent creation of their network to facilitate collaboration across the Spanish jazz scene and outlined their touring projects and development work.

In the afternoon, participants broke into structured working groups across the following areas: advocacy, data and research, inclusion and EDI, festivals and events development, all-island touring, and education and youth. Each group benefited from the active participation of international delegates, whose perspectives helped to inform and challenge the discussions in a constructive way.

The plenary continued to build on the Forum’s core aims of collective organisation, policy engagement, and sector development. The inclusion of international peers reinforced the importance of positioning the Irish Jazz Forum within a wider European framework while maintaining a focus on national priorities.

Overall, the day marked a solid step forward in consolidating the Forum’s work and advancing key areas of activity.

Minutes from the meeting will be circulated in due course.