By Joseph S. Robinson and Andrew G. McClelland - Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with an on-going, productive debate regarding the utility of interviews and oral histories for researching and writing the ‘Troubles.’ This debate evolved out of an exchange between Thomas Leahy and Martin McCleery. Patrick Finnegan’s response seems to us... Continue Reading →
By Bethan Johnson- In the opening pages of his 2001 work Masculinities and Culture, John Beynon reminded his readers: ‘Men are not born with masculinity as part of their genetic makeup; rather it is something into which they are acculturated and which is composed of social codes of behaviour which they learn to reproduce in... Continue Reading →
By Richard Bourke - History, Seamus Heaney wrote, tells us not to hope. The claim is made in his free translation of Sophocles’ Philoctetes – or rough translation, I should say, since Heaney had no Greek.[1] In the Heaney version, or adaptation, the chorus cajoles the audience to believe that there are moments when the... Continue Reading →
By Trevor Gray - The way in which history, specifically the teaching of history, can influence one’s political ideology has long been a source of intrigue and, moreover, concern for Irish historians given the island’s turbulent history. Anyone familiar with the historiography of modern Ireland will be aware that, for instance, authors have tended to... Continue Reading →
By Julia Paul- The reason that journalism only offers 'the first rough draft of history' is because as a medium it hates a long-running story with no significant developments. I can already sense this in my current role reporting on Covid-19 for BBC Radio 4 programmes. Since 1969, the Northern Ireland conflict has been mediated... Continue Reading →
By Sophie Anders- Northern Ireland is no stranger to subcultural movements. One only needs to venture into the cathedral quarter of Belfast to glimpse a bustling and vibrant drag scene, or dander on down to city hall to witness a new generation of punks and goths marking out a space for expressing their individuality. Subcultures... Continue Reading →
By Aimée Walsh- My PhD examines testimonies and political writing of gender and the Irish nation between 1975 and 1986. During this time republican prison protest was rife. As such, fractures between the feminist and republican movements were opened. Nationalist feminism in the north of Ireland is an area which has yet to be explored... Continue Reading →
By Laney Lenox- From September-December 2017, I lived in the Beechmount area of the Falls in West Belfast. Although I had spent an extensive amount of time living in Belfast prior to this, both as an undergraduate and a postgraduate studying post-conflict society, like many international transplants to Belfast I lived in South Belfast near... Continue Reading →
By Megan Kelly- As academics we habitually focus on finishing work and fall short of enjoying the task at hand. When I was approached to write this piece therefore, I thought this the perfect opportunity to have an academic M.O.T. I was determined to make the most of this chance to showcase the purpose behind... Continue Reading →
