From:Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

A new photographic exhibition has opened to the public in Government Offices, Killarney, Co Kerry, showcasing images from the landmark Live Aid concerts held at Wembley Stadium and JFK Stadium in July 1985, alongside audiovisual displays.

The National Library of Ireland’s Live Aid Exhibition includes over seventy photographs, capturing the epoch-making event. The concerts fused cross-national musical talents, focusing global attention on the scourge and traumas wrought by world hunger.

An estimated audience of 1.9 billion people – spread over 150 countries – tuned into a series of unprecedented satellite linkups, making it one of the biggest television broadcasts in history.

The exhibition features photographs of various performers who were among the most popular acts in the world during that period, including Status Quo, Madonna, U2, David Bowie, Tina Turner and Run DMC.

Originally launched in September 2025 by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D., at the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar, Dublin, a travelling version of the exhibition has been created for Kerry, where it can be viewed free of charge in the ground floor reception at Government Offices, New Road, Killarney. The exhibition will also continue in Temple Bar.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, TD, said:

“It is particularly gratifying that this exhibition has been extended outside of Dublin, providing greater public access to a unique snapshot in time. These once-in-a-generation images showcase Ireland’s enduring empathy for those afflicted by world hunger in all its guises.”

Director of the NLI, Dr Audrey Whitty, said:

“Live Aid remains one of the defining cultural moments of the 1980s. It is remembered as a global event and a response to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia. Thanks to the Band Aid Charitable Trust's generous donation of its archive to the National Library of Ireland, the material is now held as part of the national collections. This exhibition of photographs draws on that archive, bringing it to audiences in Kerry”

The suite of images has been curated from the Band Aid Trust Archive, donated to the National Library of Ireland in 2017.

The exhibition is now open to the public from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

About National Library of Ireland

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) is the library of record for Ireland. Established in 1877, it shares the story of Ireland with the world through its unique collections. The NLI cares for more than twelve million items, including books, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, prints, maps, drawings, ephemera, music, and digital media. The NLI is open, free of charge, to all who wish to consult the collections. See www.nli.ie.

To mark the 40th anniversary of Live Aid in 2025 the NLI made a selection of 2,000 photographs from the Band Aid Trust Archive available to view online. The images document the lead-up to and performances at the two concerts, and are freely accessible at www.nli.ie, wherever audiences are based.

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The building known as Government Offices is located on New Road, Killarney since 2007 (Eircode V93 A49X). Originally constructed to accommodate the then Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, it currently accommodates functions of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, and part of the National Shared Services Office.