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Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Thanks to the staff at @liverpooluni.bsky.social Ness Garden, who have once again put on a superb Halloween Family Trail.
If you want to keep the Halloween spirit going a little longer, it's still on until Monday www.liverpool.ac.uk/ness-gardens...
PS: Entry for students and UoL staff is just £1!

A wooden signpost for a Family Trail. A smiling black wooden spider hangs from it. The sign is planted in a grassy area covered with autumn leaves. In the background more parts of Ness Botanical Gardens with autumn foliage is visible. The Welsh Hills are in the far distance, below a cloudy sky

November 1, 2025 at 3:12 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Looking for a blog with Gothic inspiration instead?
"Bram Stoker, Dracula and the Irish Gothic" by Dr Carson: www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...
Hopefully you won't need this practical advice: "Viking zombies and how to kill them" by Prof @downham.bsky.social:
www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...

Black an white woodcut illustration from Grettis saga by Henry J. Ford (1902). It depicts the scene from early in the saga where Grettis steals the treasure from a pagan burial mound but is being pulled back by the revenant haunting the tomb.

October 31, 2025 at 9:52 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Happy Halloween!
With Samhain now widely recognised as the origin for modern Halloween Ireland seeks to tap into it as a new tourist theme. Maynooth University hosted a symposium on the emerging ‘Samhain Industry’, which our Dr Lucy Moreau attended and wrote on:
👀 www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...

Flyer for the Samhain symposium at Maynooth University. The Symposium title is printed at the top of the flyer and the date and location, as well as the logos of Maynooth University and National University of Ireland are at the bottom. In the centre is the image of a person walking past a shop front taken over by several rows of bright orange pumpkins in various sizes.

October 31, 2025 at 9:52 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Welcome back to Liverpool to our alumnus Dr James Gallacher, who is being joined by Derry poet Michael Foley to discuss the life and work of Belfast writer Gerard Keenan.
Thanks to all those who turned out on a windy night.

Dr James Gallacher, a white man dressed in dark trousers and medium blue shirt, speaking from the lectern in a modern lecture room. Micheal Foley is sitting to his left on the stage. Either side of them projections from Dr Gallacher's presentation are visible but overexposed.

Prof Frank Shovlin speaking from a lectern during his introduction of tonight's talk. Dr Gallacher is sitting to his left, next to the lectern. The backs of some members of the audience are visible.

Micheal Foley, a white man dressed in dark trousers and dark pullover, speaking from a large metal lectern. In the foreground a copy of the first "Honest Ulsterman" magazine is visible on a table in the first row of lecture theatre seating.

October 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Congratulations to our 2nd year student Aoife Murphy who had been choosen to join the Class of 2025 of the Washington Ireland Program. WIP brings young people from across the island of Ireland to the U.S. to live, work + develop as future leaders.
Read her blog: www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studie...

October 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses🌹
There's still a few in Abercromby Square, which looks splendid in its autumn colours.

A single pink rose flower, jsut starting to fade a bit, in the lower left quadrant of the photo, with some dew or raindrops clearly visible. IN the background are a wide paved garden path, several trees who have mostly shed their golden leaves, which are now on the ground below them, and the Georgian terraces of Abercromby Square.

October 29, 2025 at 10:55 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Go raibh maith agat to all those who turned out for Dr Ahern's Irish Language Taster and History Session today despite the autumnal weather.
Dr Ahern started with an overview of the history of Irish, before teaching cúpla focail.
Slán abhaile!

Dr Eoghan Ahern, in shirt with rolled up sleeves , speaking from a standard metal grey university lectern, which has various AV equipment on it.

October 22, 2025 at 5:44 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Delighted to welcome Anna Fitzgerald to Liverpool for @liverpooluni.bsky.social LitFest to mark her award of the John McGahern Book Prize.
Thoroughly enjoyed her impactful reading from her debut "Girl in the Making" and discussion with @irishinstitute.bsky.social's Prof Frank Shovlin.
#booksky

Anna Fitzgerald sitting in a chair and holding a microphone during the discussion. One wing of the LitFest Liverbird (made out of printed paper) is visible behind her

Anna Fitzgerald and Professor Frank Shovlin during their discussion, sitting in white chairs either side of a white coffee table.

Professor Frank Shovlin speaking from a podium

October 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Tonight is the official launch of #LIF2025 but we had a lovely early start last night hosting Gerry Molumby. Gerry's illustrated talk on stained glass artist Harry Clarke was highly engaging and enlightening.
For more @livirishfest.bsky.social events, see www.liverpoolirishfestival.com/events/

Gerry Molumby speaking at a lectern which has a book on stained glass propped up on it

Emma Smith from the Liverpool Irish Festival speaking at a lectern which has a book on stained glass propped up on it.

Gerry Molumby (L) and Institute director Prof Peter Shirlow (R) addressing the audience from either side of a lectern. Pop up banners and projections with LIF branding are visible in the background.

Group shot in front of LIF banner: Prof Peter Shirlow, Emna Smith, Gerry Molumby and Dr Ann Hoskins.

October 16, 2025 at 2:15 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Registration for @pmpnconf.bsky.social's next conference, co-organised by our PhD @coffeoglobin.bsky.social, is now open!
🗓️13 & 14 November
🧭ONLINE
🎟️FREE registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
ℹ️ performingmagicinthepremodernnorthconference.wordpress.com/2025-nov-13t...
#medievalsky

Conference schedule for Day 1:
WELCOME, DAY 1
(11:00-11:15) Solveig Marie Wang

SESSION I – Chair: Solveig Marie Wang
(11:15-11:45) Housing Complexes: Domestic Protection in Central Medieval England c.800-1215
– Jennifer Coulton, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
(11:50-12:20) ‘Bewitching Corne’ and other ‘such ridiculous fictions’: Elizabeth Sawyer and Popular Obsessions with Maleficium in Early Modern England
– Paul Barret, Independent Researcher
(12:25-12:55)
The Transformation of Ghosts in the Byland Ghost Stories
– Regina Papp, University of Pécs

COFFEE BREAK (12:55 – 13:15)

SESSION II – Chair: Selu Ita
(13:15-13:45) ‘Ley this or set this on her & she shall be deleuryd’: Parturient Women Performing Magic in Late Medieval England
– Jessica Boynton, Independent Researcher
(13:50-14:20) The Division of Labour between Magicians and the Church in Rus’ and Muscovy
– Shannyn L Bald, University of Illinois

Conference schedule for Day 2:
(11:00-11:05) Jennifer Hemphill

SESSION III – Chair: Jennifer Hemphill
(11:05 – 11:35) Obtaining Knowledge from the Earth Dweller: Dreams, Earth and Healing Charms from the Icelandic Grimoire Jarðskinna
– Kári Pálsson, Independent Research
(11:40-12:10) A re-examination of the Icelandic magical staves (galdrastafir)
– Roberto Luigi Pagani, Háskóli Íslands / University of Iceland
(12:15-12:45) The Galdrabók: practical spells and formulas in the magical material of 17th century Iceland
– Giorgia Sottotetti, Independent Researcher

COFFEE BREAK (12:45 – 13:00)

SESSION IV – Chair: Ségdae Richardson-Read
(13:00-13:30) Revisiting Perceptions of Magic in Viking Age Society
– Harley Nicole Botham, University of the Highlands and Islands (13:35-14:05) Old Norse Magical Vocabulary: Problems and Potential
– Joseph Fenwick, University of Edinburgh
(14:10-14:40) The Poetry of Magic: Poetic Techniques in the Jarðskinna Manuscript
– Galen Miler-Atkins, Independent Researcher

October 2, 2025 at 9:37 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Don't mind us, just peeking over the railings into Abercromby Square this glorious morning ...

Colour photo of Abercromby Square. A short sun dappled section of lawn in front, bordered by trees, a gravel path and bushes, with more lawn, this time in full sun, behind. A small pavilion is towards the back, but the houses around the square are mostly obscured by low tree branches.

September 25, 2025 at 8:55 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Just to balance things out, here's some spring and summer shots of Abercromby Square, our lovely home, for #WorldPhotographyDay

Colour photo take from low near the ground of a crocus on a sunny lawn with the Georgian terrace of Abercromby Square in the background

Daffodils next to a gravel path with bare trees and and blue skies in the background

Paved garden path leading to an entrance (exit?) to Abercromby Square. There's rose bushes either side of the path and the gate is flanked by two trees with fresh leaves. The entrance columns for 4 Abercromby Square are in the background

A summer shot of the lawns of Abercromby Square showing the central pavillion and flower flanked paths. Blue deckchairs are arranged on the two farther lawns. Trees in full leave mark the border of the square, which is bathed in sunlight from a bright blue sky.

August 19, 2025 at 8:27 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Our PHds @hspevans.bsky.social and Nik Frenzel are organising a panel for #IMC2026 on the topic of "Law and Contacts in the Irish Sea Region"
Please find below their #CfP - full details in the AltText!

@imc-leeds.bsky.social
#acadmicsky #medievalsky #skystorians

CfP pster for "Law and Contacts in the Irish Sea Region.
White print on green blackgroudn with some detaisl picked out in gold and golden celtic know inspired framing.
In recent years there has been a rapid expansion in the study of law in the Irish Sea Region. Research has steadily progressed beyond the study of law texts themselves and is starting to brush shoulders with other thematic strands, such as emotion, normativity, identity, culture and gender.
This area is still in its infancy and there are a number of directions which are yet to be explored. This session will provide a window into current research and future directions of law and the Irish sea region and its contacts with contemporary cultures, such as the Norse, Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Normans.

Topics can include, but are not limited to:
- Diaspora and networks
- Linguistic and philological developments
- Legal and national identities
- Gender and emotion
- Religion and cultural memory
- Political landscapes
- Legal procedures
- Nationalism and reception of medieval law
- Internal developments and external influences

We particularly encourage submission from early career researchers and work-in-progress projects.
Talks will be 15-20 minutes long, with the option for hybrid participation.
Please submit a title, a 150-word abstract and a short bio by Friday 19th of September to hannah.evans@liverpool.ac.uk and frenzel@liverpool.ac.uk.
Organisers: Hannah Evans & Nikolaus Frenzel, Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool

August 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Our director Prof Peter Shirlow will be on "The View from Stormont" UTV tonight to comment on current topics including a look at Starmer and Northern Ireland over the past year.
UTV from 23:10 tonight or catch up online.

Stock Image of View From Stormont showings Paul Clark, one of its main presenters, in tie and suit behind his desk with images of Stormont projected behind him.

July 7, 2025 at 1:38 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Lovely to see Sarah Mangan, Ireland's Consul General for NW England, for an informal meeting and goodbye before her posting ends soon.
Thank you for all your support of the Institute and all your hard work for the Irish in Liverpool and beyond over the last few years. All the best for your future!

Photogrpah of Institute and Consulate Staff in the Irish Studies Offices, with a painting of Seamus Heaney on the wall behind them. From left to right: Gerry Diver, Prof Peter Shirlow, Consul General Sarah Managan, Dr Niall Carson and Vice Consul General: Deirdre O'Flaherty

July 1, 2025 at 3:06 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

"There are no longer two ‘tribes’ but three near equal sized groups unionist, nationalist and those who are neither of those"
Our Prof Peter Shirlow comments in today's Irish World on the new electoral realities in Northern Ireland in response to recent remarks by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

Screenshot of the newspaper opinon piece by Prof Shirlow. The piece is illustrated by a graphic of a green and an orange hand grasping one another in front of a map of Ireland with the in matching green and orange.
The begining of the article reads:
Too much of what concerns Northern Ireland is based upon a binary politics that wishes to keep debates around constitutional futures locked into the binary of Orange versus Green. The former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, in his recent intervention to the constitutional question, promotes the sense of ‘all is Irish or British’. He joins those unionists and nationalists who refuse to acknowledge there are no longer two ‘tribes’ but three near equal sized groups unionist, nationalist and those who are neither of those. ‘Neithers’ tend to see themselves as Northern Irish, are less likely to vote and if they do so they opt for non-constitutional parties. As a group they are predominantly university educated, professional and non-religious. Those who have freed themselves from old and wearied identities and stereotypes. This estimated third of the electorate will decide what the constitutional future will be. It is not identity that frames them but issues to do with personal wellbeing, a strong dislike of Sinn Fein and the DUP and, at present, a near 31 support for remaining in the UK. They want no part of that turbulent past that frames the outlook of an older generation. In effect, they include those born some 30 years since the ceasefires. They lack rancour, resentment or animosity as they live their lives across and beyond the traditional divide. Republicans rarely recognise them, while unionists are confounded by them.

June 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

'Greek in the Irish sea the ageless voice'
We are celebrating Dylan Thomas and his links with Ireland+Irish writers tonight with a talk by Prof John Goodby @sheffieldhallamuni.bsky.social.
Excerpts from Stan Tracey's Jazz Suite performed by Richard Wetherall + narration by Seamus Lavan.

Photo of the stage of the Eleanor Rathbone Theatre, the centre is taken up by a drop down screen with a PowerPoint slide showing the title of tonight's talk. John Goodby is speaking from a podium on the right hand side, Richard Wetherall and Seamus Lavan are seated behind Richard's red electric piano on the left.

Seamus Lavan centre stage, reciting Dylan Thomas while Richard Wetherall is playing his red electric piano on the left. In the background is a PowerPoint slide with a text excerpt of Dylan Thomas's work.

Professor John Goodby speaking from behind a metal podium.

Dr Niall Carson of the Institute of Irish Studies introducing Professor John Goodby (who is just visible behind Dr Carson)

May 1, 2025 at 5:35 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

#DYK that @liverpooluni.bsky.social owns Ness Gardens on the Wirral?
Go for a stroll through the landscaped grounds, enjoy the views across the Dee Estuary towards North Wales or take the kids on a seasonal trail, and if you are lucky you'll spot some students engaging in experimental archaeology!

Wide gravel garden path with Mediterranean shrubs to the right side

Wooden shed/shelter in green grass with trees in the background. The word EARTH is imprinted on the side

Replica stone circle, surrounded by a low earth mound and ditch, under a bright blue sky. In the middle background low trees and shrubs are visible, obscuring views of the Dee Estuary and the hills of North Wales.

Narrow garden path leading through flower beds to a wooden bench. White daffodils are flowering in the foreground and a cherry tree is bursting into pink blossom behind them

April 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

We are delighted to support St Brigid's Arms, a project by Emerald Lens documenting the experiences of women of Irish heritage in the UK and esp N England.
If you wish to contribute, please sing up at
airtable.com/apppNlaQMpBh...
More info about the project: emeraldlenscic.org.uk/st-brigids-a...

Poster by Emerald Lens encouraging people to "Tell Us Your Story" and "Get in touch" at emeraldlensinfo@gmail.com.
The main text reads: We want to hear from womxn of Irish heritage based in the North of England who would like to be interviewed as part of a creative heritage project.

Poster by Emerald Lens providing more information on the project "Like a traditional Irish pub, the St Brigid's Amrs will serve as a gathering palce, where Irish women's experiences of migration, identity and heritate are shared through art and storytelling."

April 1, 2025 at 2:06 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Delighted to welcome Emma Blain, Lord Mayor of Dublin, to Liverpool to discuss how the twinning of our cities.
Thanks to VC Tim Jones and colleagues from across @liverpooluni.bsky.social for showing the Materials Innovation Factory to the Lord Mayor, Consul General Sarah Mangan and Dublin City Reps.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Emma Blain, and University of Liverpool VC Tim Jones, standing in the centre of a group of people, including members of the Lord Mayor's delegation, representatives of Liverpool City Council and academics and other staff from the University of Liverpool. In the background the light and airy central corridor of the Materials Innovation Factory can be seen, to the left a woodsided staircase leads to the upper floors.

Dublin Lord Mayor Emma Blain with Gerry Diver of the Institute of Irish Studies.

March 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Using solar eclipse glasses with (old) mobile phone and binoculars with white cardboard to see the partial eclipse safely.
Too cloudy today? Don't worry, more partial eclipses coming up in the next few years but the next total eclipse will not be until 2090 in Ireland and even later in Liverpool!

Very fuzzy shot of sun during partial solar eclipse. Due to use of solar eclipse glasses the sky is black but the sun is seen clearly with a chunk missing in the top right corner.

Shadow of a hand holding binoculars. Two suns are visible, one for each barrel of the binoculars. This time the bottom left corner of the sun is missing.

March 29, 2025 at 11:43 AM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

SILENT SEAS is now open!
Thanks to our friends @irishculturalcentr.bsky.social for hosting a lovely launch event, and for hosting this fantastic exhibition.
If you are near Hammersmith before early June, make sure to pop in - free entry!
ℹ️ irishculturalcentre.co.uk/event/silent...

L to R: ICC Director William Foote, Institute of Irish Studies Strategy and Innovation Officer Gerry Diver, John-Michelle O'Shea and ICC Chairman Peter Power-Hynes

John-Michelle O'Shea addressing the audience during the launch

Institute of Irish Studies Strategy and Innovation Officer Gerry Diver speaking from the lectern durign the launch of Silent Seas

March 21, 2025 at 1:57 PM

Irish Studies@LivUni

@irishinstitute.bsky.social

Happy #WorldPoetryDay!
We are proud to host the Annual Seamus Heaney Lecture, celebrating one of Ireland's greatest poets. Poetry performances are an integral part of the lecture, such as when Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell read 'Delay' by Elizabeth Jennings.
All lectures: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...