The Poetry and Violence of the Ulster ‘Troubles’

Our lecture will give an overview of the political unrest and violence of the last half-century in Northern Ireland, a period commonly known as 'The Troubles'. We will focus on a major event of this period, Bloody Sunday, where the British Army opened fire on civil rights protesters, killing 13 people. The original Widgery Enquiry vindicated the British Army, and only in the past months has that result been overturned by the Savill Enquiry. We will discuss the response to Bloody Sunday, and the Troubles in general, from contemporary Northern Irish poets, and examine how poetry is part of the political narrative of the country.

The Durham Late Summer Lecture Series is designed to showcase postgraduate research in the Department of English Studies to a general audience from both within and outside of the university, and to offer PhD students and post-docs in the Department of English Studies an opportunity for lecturing and aims to provide valuable experience for later job applications.

Contact late-summer.lectures@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event.