Aindrias O’Cathasaigh
THE Island Voices lecture series is enjoying a welcome return to the Tower Museum this autumn marking the centenary of 1916 by exploring the social, cultural and political landscape of Ireland a century ago.
The third and final instalment will take place next week, Thursday, November 24, focusing on the complex and sometimes contested relationships which exist between language, identity and nationhood.
Concluding the series will be historian and political commentator Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh, author of 1916: Seachtar na Cásca and 1916: Seachtar Dearmadta, and scriptwriter of the accompanying TG4 series. He has written extensively on the history, politics and culture of the period.
Delivered in both English and Irish, the third talk will focus on the Irish language and the confluences and tensions between the revival of the Irish language, and the fight for national independence in the earlier part of the 20th Century.
The political turmoil of those years also brought changes to the language movement itself and the accompanying debates provide neglected but valuable evidence of how Irish opinion was shifting, and how separatists organised to influence it.
The earlier lectures in the series gave audiences the opportunity to find out more about the landmark historic events of 1916, including the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme, which have shaped our understanding of ourselves and each other.
The series is run by Derry City and Strabane District Council, and Council Irish Language Officer, Pól Ó Frighil, encouraged people to come along and find out more about a fascinating era of modern history.
“The Island Voices series is always popular and a highlight of Council’s events calendar.
“The talks provide an insightful exploration of a variety of themes and this year in particular the focus has been particularly relevant exploring the life-changing events of 1916, which inevitably impacted significantly on our social and cultural evolution.
“Anyone who has an interest in local history will certainly enjoy the final talk in the series, which presents the opportunity to hear from yet another respected historian and author.”
The talk takes place from 1pm – 2pm in the Tower Museum preceded by lunch at 12.30pm.
Places are free and can be booked by contacting the Tower Museum (028) 7137 2411 or emailing [email protected]
Due to demand people are advised to book early to secure a spot.
