Culture

Manchester one-day Irish studies event

Professor Diane Urquart

MANCHESTER'S National Irish Studies Conference is to be opened by the High Sheriff of Manchester, Eamonn O’Neal OBE. He will welcome speakers and delegates from Ireland and the UK to this year’s National Irish Studies Conference in Manchester.

Eamonn was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours for his charitable services. He is only the second Irish person to hold the High Sheriff of Manchester, following Mary Liz Walker, who served as High Sheriff in 2023. Eamonn’s father came from Belfast, and his mother from Kerry.

The post of High Sheriff dates back 1,300 years.

The National Irish Studies Conference celebrates Irish culture and history. Previous speakers have included professors, politicians, poets, storytellers, archaeologists, authors, painters, lighthouse keepers, and even the King of Tory Island.

It is a relaxed, one-day conference that gives delegates an opportunity to interact with each other and the speakers.

Event details

Venue: Irish World Heritage Centre, 1 Irish Town Way, Cheetham Hill, M8 0AE

Date: 8th March

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Speakers and topics

Dr Diane Urquhart – “We Have Found a Better Way, Boys”: Anna & Fanny Parnell and the Women’s Irish Land League

Diane is a gender historian with a special interest in modern Ireland and Britain at Queen’s University Belfast. When the Land League leaders were imprisoned, the Women’s Land League was formed, continuing the campaign that led to land reform in Ireland and more rights for tenant farmers.

Liam Harte & Barry Hazley – “Conflict, Memory & Migration: Northern Irish Migrants & the Troubles”

Liam (Manchester University) and Barry (Liverpool University) worked on a three-year oral history project. Their talk examines the experiences of Northern Irish migrants who moved to Britain during the Troubles, settling and raising families in London, Manchester, and Glasgow.

Dr Patrick Doyle (University of Limerick) – “Utopia in County Clare? The Ralahine Experiment & Its Manchester Connection”

An exploration of Ireland’s first successful experiment in a cooperative community. The Ralahine Commune was a cooperative society and commune founded in 1831 on the estate of John Scott Vandeleur in County Clare.

Dr Patrick Murphy (Chair, Nottingham Irish Centre) – “Sean O’Casey: Rebel, Revolutionary & Playwright”

Patrick delivered a series of lectures at Hammersmith Cultural Centre on Ireland’s left-wing politicians of the early 20th century. This talk will highlight Sean O’Casey’s lesser-known role as a left-wing activist before he became a renowned playwright.