"irish studies" blog posts
Spotlighting the Irish Centre
Recently, we met with Irish Studies PhD student, Louise Coyne, to talk about Liverpool’s Irish Centre. In this blog she discusses the history of the Irish Centre and its cultural importance in our society today.
Posted on: 29 November 2023
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The Future of the Past with AI
Across the UK Higher Education, Humanities departments are facing a fresh wave of cuts. The value of disciplines such as history has been undermined by two decades of derision by government ministers.[1]
Posted on: 30 October 2023
Celebrating the HLC Graduations
On the 21st of July our HLC graduates, dressed in their finest threads, donned caps, gowns and hoods to celebrate the conclusion of their degrees.
Posted on: 25 August 2023
Irish Nurses in the NHS: the Liverpool story
Following the establishment of the NHS in 1948 and given the urgent need to rapidly expand the number of nurses, there was an active campaign to recruit thousands of young Irish women as trainee nurses. Irish Nurses in the NHS is a three-year project that aims to relate the untold stories of these Irish nurses.
Posted on: 5 July 2023
Investigating Medieval Irish Records
This month, June 2022, is the 100-year anniversary of the gelignite explosion at the Record Treasury in the Four Courts, Dublin during the Irish Civil War. Thousands of manuscripts and documents from seven centuries of Irish history were destroyed. A very few survived on the day. But others survived by being held in other locations. Here, Dr Stephen Hewer of the Institute of Irish Studies discusses one such manuscript.
Posted on: 23 June 2022
Beyond Exclusion in Medieval Ireland
The Institute of Irish Studies’ Leverhulme Fellow, Dr Stephen Hewer, recently published a book on the legal status of different groups in medieval Ireland. The Institute hosted a book launch on 16 March. Here, he details the processes of making the book and some of the major findings.
Posted on: 28 April 2022
A Brief History of St Patrick's Day
St Patrick’s Day (17th March) is a global celebration and also a big event in the social calendar of the city of Liverpool with three quarters of the city’s population claiming Irish ancestry. The event is popularly associated with wearing green and drinking Guinness, but what would the real St Patrick have thought of all this?
Posted on: 16 March 2022
Watch the second Annual Seamus Heaney Lecture
On Thursday 18 November 2021 the Institute of Irish Studies welcomed Professor Roy Foster (Emeritus Professor of Irish History, University of Oxford, and author of On Seamus Heaney) to deliver the second Annual Seamus Heaney Lecture
Posted on: 17 December 2021
Exiled Women – English and Irish nuns at home and away
In seventeenth century England, Catholicism was outlawed across the land, punishable by heavy fines, imprisonment, and sometimes execution. Ireland (then under English rule) had just concluded the Nine Year’s War that effectively ended the Gaelic political systems that had survived for centuries, with greater plantation of Protestant settlers to follow.
Posted on: 23 March 2021
Confronting a 'dark and painful reality': the Mother and Baby Homes Report
Postgraduate research student Lucy Simpson-Kilbane discusses the Mother and Baby Homes Report, Ireland, published earlier this month following a five-year inquiry.
Posted on: 18 January 2021
Video: In Conversation with Nana Nubi, Author of the Nigerian Heritage Colouring Book
The School of Histories, Languages and Cultures at the University of Liverpool was delighted to present Nana Nubi (Founder of the 'Alpha Project' Ireland, author of 'Nigerian Heritage') in conversation with Jacob Hussain (final year undergraduate in Irish Studies) in a live online discussion during Black History Month 2020.
Posted on: 27 October 2020
Welcome to Liverpool! 5 tips for Irish Studies students new to University of Liverpool
Welcome week runs from 28 September – 2 October 2020 and is set to be a little different this year, however there are still tons of events and tools that you can use to interact with the department, explore the city and get to know the University of Liverpool as a new student. Here are 5 tips for Irish Studies students during Welcome Week to get yourself settled and in the know as soon as possible:
Posted on: 26 September 2020
‘2020 has given us a new perspective. We need hope’ — the world and home with artist Paul Doran
This month, Outreach Officer Maev McDaid met with Irish artist Paul Doran, who is enjoying great success with his contemporary abstract art exhibitions.
Posted on: 18 September 2020
Everything You Need to Know About Irish Studies
Hello, my name is Beth and I am a Third Year Irish Studies student at the University of Liverpool. I wanted to provide an insight as to what it is like to study Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, and hopefully answer any queries you may have regarding the course.
Posted on: 9 June 2020
Revisit the Great Famine Voices Roadshow
The Institute of Irish Studies was delighted to co-host the Great Famine Voices Roadshow Liverpool on Saturday 2 May with the Irish National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park and Irish Heritage Trust, supported by our partners Liverpool Irish Festival and the Liverpool Great Hunger Commemoration Committee.
Posted on: 5 May 2020
Emmeline Pankhurst: A Women's History Month Special
Emmeline Pankhurst is an iconic figure in the fight for women’s suffrage in Britain. Through her organisation, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), she campaigned for women’s rights. My research explores the connections between the Pankhurst family and Irish nationalism in Britain. In the case of Emmeline, Irish nationalism provided her with a political education which she publicised in her autobiography My Own Story.
Posted on: 6 March 2020
The Best Irish Studies Podcasts to Listen to Right Now
Looking for a way to learn on the go? Maybe you need a break from reading or you just can’t take sitting at a desk all day. That’s where podcasts come in. An entertaining yet informative way of learning is right at your fingertips. Pick up your phone and choose from the list below of Irish Studies podcasts you just can’t miss.
Posted on: 6 March 2020
How the Institute’s “Agreement” exhibition came about (Ken Bartley, ArtisAnn Gallery)
As all good winter’s tales begin... it was a crisp, frosty Christmas Eve when I bumped into old friend and colleague Prof Pete Shirlow, Director of The Institute of Irish Studies, as he strolled along Belfast’s Ormeau Road. Since our days, many years ago, working at Queen’s University, Pete was now running a major “Arts for Reconciliation” research project, while I was the co-owner of the ArtisAnn contemporary art gallery in Belfast. We chatted about the potential for an exhibition to mark 20 years of peace in Northern Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Posted on: 29 November 2019
Watch the Inaugural Seamus Heaney Lecture
On Thursday 17 October 2019 the Institute of Irish Studies welcomed Professor Louise Richardson (Vice-Chancellor, University of Oxford) to deliver the inaugural Seamus Heaney Lecture. The event was introduced with a recital of Seamus Heaney's poetry by Adrian Dunbar (actor, screenwriter and director).
Posted on: 31 October 2019
Professor Frank Shovlin visits the University of Notre Dame, USA
Professor Frank Shovlin writes about his recent visiting fellowship to the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA.
Posted on: 15 October 2019
Viking Wirral on Wheels Bike Tour
The ‘Viking Wirral on Wheels’ cycle tour was the brainchild of Craig Pennington, organiser of the Future Yard music festival at Birkenhead in August 2019 and Don Maclean of Ryde bicycle cafe in Liverpool. Dr Clare Downham provides an overview of the day.
Posted on: 16 September 2019
Five things to do during Welcome Week
Welcome Week kicks off on Monday, giving new students the opportunity to get to know their new flatmates, explore Liverpool and settle in before they start lectures. Take a look at our top five tips to help you get started with university life.
Posted on: 13 September 2019
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Women and military power in the tenth century
In Game of Thrones and Vikings, viewers have seen representations of women warriors and military leaders in medievalesque settings, but how accurate is this a reflection of women in the past? Dr Clare Downham from the Institute of Irish Studies explains.
Posted on: 30 May 2019
'The Singer's House' by Seamus Heaney - Poetry Day Ireland
In this video, Prof Frank Shovlin explains his close connection to 'The Singer's House' by Seamus Heaney and reads this wistful poem for Poetry Day Ireland.
Posted on: 2 May 2019
Highlights from our Prince of Wales and President of Ireland visit!
We were excited to welcome the Prince of Wales and President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins to the Victoria Gallery and Museum on campus this week, to sign a joint patronage agreement for the Insititute. Before the signing, they were happy to meet the crowds waiting outside, as well as chatting to staff, students, alumni and many more guests inside the gallery.
Posted on: 14 February 2019
Bertie Ahern on the Good Friday Agreement, Brexit and a United Ireland
Following the 11th Dr John Kennedy CBE KSG KCMCO DL DHI Lecture in Irish Studies given by Bertie Ahern, we sat down with the former Taoiseach to discuss the Good Friday Agreement, the impact of Brexit on relations between Ireland and the UK, and the prospect of a United Ireland.
Posted on: 20 December 2018
Irish Studies students visit Western Approaches War Museum
On 5 December, students in Dr. Arrington’s War Writing class (IRIS326 ENGL488) visited Western Approaches, Liverpool’s Second World War Museum, housed in the top-secret bunker under Derby House from which Admiral Max Horton, Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy, won the Battle of the Atlantic. One student, a native of Liverpool, commented, “I had no idea it was even here!”
Posted on: 10 December 2018
London and Economic Migration
During a recent two-week stay in London organised and funded by the Department of Histories, Languages and Cultures, a group of undergraduates, including Lewis Braithwaite, tackled the topic of economic migration to the capital. They approached the subject from various perspectives, and Lewis focused on ‘the Irish experience’ in the twentieth century.
Posted on: 13 November 2018
"I will look back on it as a watershed moment in my life" — Institute of Irish Studies MA student Ronan Gerrard interns with The London Magazine
Before Ronan Gerrard graduated from the University of Liverpool with a joint degree in English and Irish Studies in summer 2018, he benefited from two weeks of work experience at Britain’s oldest literary periodical, The London Magazine. In their long history stretching back as far as 1732, the magazine has boasted contributions from the Romantic poets Shelley and Keats to 20th century masters such as Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Discover some of Ronan's experiences of working with the publication.
Posted on: 25 October 2018
Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald: "Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement are incompatible"
Sinn Féin leader, Mary Lou McDonald talks reconciliation, Brexit and what the ‘Repeal the Eighth’ result says to the world about modern Ireland, in this video interview, ahead of her keynote speech at the University.
Posted on: 9 October 2018
Refugees and forced displacement in Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles
My research, funded by the 2017/18 Busteed Postdoctoral Scholarship at the Institute of Irish Studies, sheds light on the often-overlooked experiences of people who suffered displacement during the Northern Ireland conflict.
Posted on: 2 October 2018
Searching for Gerard Keenan
Kavanagh’s Weekly is arguably the closest literary approximation to a barroom brawl ever put to print. When I first saw the name of Gerard Keenan in its pages, the feeling was akin to the sensation of the corner-eye-sighting of a reflection in a dusty mirror.
Posted on: 10 July 2018
Oklahoma, James Joyce and 'The Book of Days'
16 June is Bloomsday, celebrating 16 June 1904, the date depicted in James Joyce’s novel, 'Ulysses'. PhD student, Liss Farrell is researching the brother relationship in James Joyce’s 'Finnegans Wake'. Interested in the interplay between Joyce’s real-life relationship with his brother Stanislaus and the Wake, Liss travelled to the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma to read his diary: ‘The Book of Days’.
Posted on: 14 June 2018
Four things to see and do in Liverpool if you're interested in Irish history and culture
With Summer now upon us, you might be looking for things to do in Merseyside before the start of the new term (trust us, this will come around very quickly!). While teaching may be over until September, there’s still plenty of things to see and do in Liverpool if you're interested in Irish history and culture - from museum trails to live poetry:
Posted on: 11 June 2018
Shame, stigma, and the abortion debate in Ireland
Exploring the stigma and shame surrounding abortion in Ireland, Masters student Rebecca Boast looks at both sites of the debate, in the lead up to Ireland's referendum.
Posted on: 24 May 2018
Liverpool: Celebrating 10 years as the Capital of Culture
This year, Liverpool will come together once more to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of being named the European Capital of Culture. Here, we will explore some of the highlights 2018 will bring as a celebration, and check out some other big names that turn 10, too!
Posted on: 14 February 2018
How Representative was the Representation of the People Act?
As the UK commemorates 100 years since (some) women were given the right to vote, Dr Diane Urquhart considers how 'representative' the 1918 Representation of the People Act was.
Posted on: 5 February 2018
Enda Kenny video interview - Ireland's border after Brexit
Former Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny, talks to us about Ireland's border after Brexit and his vision for Ireland's future.
Posted on: 4 December 2017
Irelandness - by Grammy nominated songwriter, Johnny McDaid
Songwriter, producer and Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Irish Studies, Johnny McDaid blogs about celebrating his Irish identity and Irish culture.
Posted on: 7 November 2017
Video interview: Orla Guerin on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and reporting whilst under fire
As part of Liverpool Irish Festival, we spoke to veteran BBC news correspondent Orla Guerin about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and what it's like reporting whilst under fire. Watch the video interview to hear about Orla's experiences reporting in the Middle East.
Posted on: 30 October 2017
Viking zombies and how to kill them
Viking expert and senior lecturer in Irish Studies, Dr Clare Downham, tells us some gruesome tales about viking zombies and explains what these stories might mean and how they compare to contemporary representations of the undead.
Posted on: 27 October 2017
'Life Beyond the PhD' and creative networking
Emma is currently researching a PhD on \"The Roots of Radicalism: Networks, Organisation, and the Irish Revolution, 1913-1919” with us. Here, she is blogging about her experiences as a distance learner.
Posted on: 28 September 2017
Terror and the Troubles in English popular memory
There is something decidedly uncanny about the emotionally charged aftermaths of the recent terrorist atrocities committed in the Manchester Arena and London Bridge. While journalists and broadcasters, politicians and police chiefs exclaim the unprecedented nature of the attacks, there is a strange familiarity about the widespread invocation of a redemptive ‘blitz spirit,’ calls for tighter security, and of course, the popular attacks on a minority population associated with the terrorists by ethnic designation.
Posted on: 4 August 2017
Hidden histories - the role of women in Irish War history
Ailbhe McDaid, PhD and Busteed Postdoctoral Research Fellow, gives us an insight into her research 'Women and War: conflict, bereavement and Irish cultural memory, 1914-2018’.
Posted on: 13 June 2017
Stakeknife - The Spy in the IRA.
Irish Studies PhD Candidate Dean Farquhar discusses the BBC Panorama episode 'Stakeknife'.
Posted on: 18 April 2017
From Guns to Government: Martin McGuinness, IRA volunteer and Deputy First Minster of Northern Ireland
Irish republicanism expert Dr Kevin Bean traces the journey of Martin McGuinness from IRA volunteer to Deputy First Minster of Northern Ireland.
Posted on: 22 March 2017
How do people across the world celebrate St Patrick's Day?
Dubai. Montserrat. Croatia. Taiwan. Canada. Huddersfield. A diverse list, united by a common factor: at some point during the week around 17 March, each of these places will somehow celebrate the feast day of St Patrick.
Posted on: 17 March 2017
Irish writer, John Boyne, talks about his new novel 'The Heart's Invisible Furies'
What better way to get inspired about literature during your studies, than to get up close with a New York Times best-selling writer!
Posted on: 21 February 2017
Colm Tóibín on Liverpool, Brooklyn and using memories in his work
Celebrated writer Colm Tóibín kicked off the final day of our inaugural Liverpool Literary Festival 2016. Find out his thoughts on Liverpool, his novel 'Brooklyn' and how he pieces together his work, in this exclusive video interview.
Posted on: 31 October 2016
James Joyce: novelist or poet?
James Joyce is often better known for his influential novels, such as 'Finnegans Wake', but for National Poetry Day we wanted to delve into Joyce's poetry.
Posted on: 5 October 2016
Top six reasons to study Irish Studies at University of Liverpool
Why come to University of Liverpool for your Irish Studies degree? Here are our top six reasons:
Posted on: 20 September 2016
A handy guide to our 2016 Open Days
An open day is a great opportunity to meet with your future lecturers and current students, who can give you a unique insight into your course, the University and Liverpool itself. So here's our handy guide to some of the highlights of our open days - join us on on Saturday 24 September and Saturday 8 October 2016.
Posted on: 16 September 2016