"university of liverpool" blog posts
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
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
Watch: Mary Robinson discusses women's leadership and climate change
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson spoke about women’s leadership and climate change at a special event organised by the London Irish Lawyers Association in association with the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies.
Posted on: 23 January 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
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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
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
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
"Building a people’s peace" - Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the SDLP
This guest blog by Nichola Mallon, deputy leader of the SDLP and former Lord Mayor of Belfast (2014-2015), looks at the challenges facing the city of Belfast and the progress that has been made, influenced by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Posted on: 30 April 2018
On the streets of Belfast: entering the “everydayness of violence”
This guest blog by photographer Chad Alexander, who was born in 1990, reveals his experiences capturing images of Belfast and life in the city after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.
Posted on: 20 April 2018
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
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