"liverpool" blog posts
Bram Stoker, Dracula and the Irish Gothic
On the 20th of April 1912, legendary author Bram Stoker passed away. He is most famous for penning Dracula, published in 1897. The novel, and characters within it, have left a long, exciting legacy of adaptations, in various forms. Now, over 100 years later, we look into the teaching of Dr. Niall Carson on Dracula, within the context of the Irish Gothic in his teachings on Irish Literature at the University of Liverpool.
Posted on: 2 April 2024
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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
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
Our Favourite Places to Visit Outside of the City
Sometimes you just want to take a break from city life, escape for a few hours. We know the feeling! We've put together a few suggestions of where you could go, including some stops along the way. So get your comfy trainers ready because you're about to go on an adventure.
Posted on: 8 August 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
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
Culture and COVID: an interview with Eva O’Connor
Earlier this month the Institute of Irish Studies launched Culture Unconfined, an online festival of film, drama, music and poetry. Culture is an important facet in the study of Ireland and the Institute remains committed to supporting and promoting the voices of Irish artists, especially during these unprecedented times. Last week, Maev McDaid from the Institute of Irish Studies caught up with Eva O’Connor, an emerging writer-performer from Ogonnelloe County Clare with a string of accolades to her bow, about life as an artist under COVID.
Posted on: 29 May 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
Our top revision tips for exam season
It’s that time of year again. But you’ve got this. Deep breath.
Posted on: 6 January 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
'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
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
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
Our top tips to beat the Blue Monday blues this January
January blues can be tough. But what should you do when Blue Monday comes around when you're trying to prepare for your exams?
Posted on: 15 January 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
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
Beat stress and visit these top places to chill out in Liverpool
January blues can be tough. But what should you do when Blue Monday comes around when you're trying to prepare for your exams?
Posted on: 16 January 2017
Bubbly and celebrations at our winter graduation 2016
Celebrating with our graduating students is always special and last week was no exception when we held our winter graduation reception.
Posted on: 13 December 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