SOFEIR conference in University College Cork (UCC)

The 2025 SOFEIR (Société Française d'Études Irlandaises / French Society of Irish Studies) conference was held in University College Cork on 21-22 March 2025. SOFEIR was founded in Rennes in 1981 and brings together academics who work in the broad interdisciplinary field of Irish studies in France. This was (I think) the second time that the conference was held in Ireland.

The theme for the conference was 'Ireland and Transnational Solidarities'. Academics and researchers came from Ireland, France and the UK to present papers on various topics from Palestine, Algeria and India to herbal medicine, Irish literature and surfing. 

 

Getting the Dr Dora Allman room in the Hub ready for the conference.

I delivered a paper on Etiennette Beuque (d. 1949), a Frenchwoman who wrote numerous books on Ireland in the 1920s and 1930s. She became interested in Ireland around the time of the push for Irish independence 100 years ago. Her books focused on Irish history and contemporary Irish politics. She also wrote poetry and a couple of books of fiction based on Ireland (particularly the Terence MacSwiney hunger strike and the Easter Rising).

The photograph above shows a packed audience listening to Prof Dónal Hassett deliver a keynote speech on the experience of Irish peasants who were sent to set up home in French controlled Algeria in the 1800s. It ended in disaster and the Irish people that went there eventually made their way back to Ireland.

A library exhibition was organised to run alongside the conference in the UCC Boole Library. Entitled 'Ireland and France: Transnational Nations', conference attendees were able to view the exhibition during the conference. It included a wide range of exhibits from the library's holdings. Below are some examples of the kind of material (a French map of Ireland and a photograph of Samuel Beckett in Paris) that was on display as part of the exhibition.

RTÉ Brainstorm piece on the Avignon popes

Did you know that the Pope did not always live in Rome? Yes, in the middle ages, seven popes lived in Avignon in the south of France. I have just written a short article about it for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

The Palais des Papes in Avignon. Image source.

The Avignon papacy lasted for over 60 years until Pope Gregory XI decided to return to Rome in 1376. His death in 1378 led to great division in the Catholic Church with some senior clerics arguing that the papacy should leave Rome and return to Avignon. The Great Western Schism is how the division has been called. During that time, several men claimed to be Pope at the same time. It was resolved through negotiations in ecumenical councils. 

The home of the Popes in Avignon, the Palais des Papes is an imposing Gothic palace. It is the largest Gothic palace in Europe. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in the region and plays host to the Festival d'Avignon each year.

Thomas Carnduff - shipyard poet, an Irish Diary

Thomas Carnduff (1886-1956) was born in Belfast during a period of sectarian tension. He worked in several different jobs but it was in writing that he gained the most pleasure. I have just written an Irish Diary about him and his work in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here. 

 

Photograph of Thomas Carnduff (1886-1956).

After attending Haslett's School in Eliza Street in Belfast, he was sent to school in Dublin. There, he attended the Royal Hibernian Military School. Located in the Phoenix Park (now St. Mary's Hospital), it was for the sons of soldiers in the British army serving mostly in Irish regiments. The boys had classes like a normal school but also drilled and wore a uniform complete with a Glengarry hat. It was expected that they would follow their fathers into military service. You can find out more about the school here.

 

Plaque to Thomas Carnduff outside the Linen Hall Library in Belfast.

"We Belfastmen love Ireland" was the title of an article that Carnduff wrote in November 1942. It appeared firstly in the Irish Digest before appearing in other publications. It began with the words "I love this Belfast of mine" before going on to explain that "Belfast is an Irish city". It is a relatively short article but it shows his passion for the arts and his relationship to the rest of Ireland.

If you would like to find out more about Thomas Carnduff, you should have a look at the Dictionary of Irish Biography entry on him here or at the Ulster History Circle website. Lastly, this website has some additional information about him and his family.

Katherine Cecil Thurston - Irish Diary on forgotten Irish writer

Katherine Cecil Thurston (1875-1911) was a popular novelist in Ireland, Britain and the United States of America at the start of the 1900s. She wrote about themes that affected ordinary people. I have just written an Irish Diary about her in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here. 

 

Photograph of Katherine Thurston. Image source.

I know that one of her books, The Fly on the Wheel, was republished in recent times by Manderley Press, but sadly apart from that, Katherine Thurston seems to have been largely forgotten. Let us hope that her name is remembered by some and that her books gain a new audience.

 

  The Circle by Katherine Thurston

History Today article - Jerome K. Jerome and Ireland

The English journalist and novelist Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) is probably best remembered today for his humourous writing (including Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummell) but he also wrote about politics. I have just written an article for History Today on Jerome's 1920 magazine article on Ireland and his plea to his compatriots to 'Let Ireland Go'. Read it here.

 

Photograph of Jerome K. Jerome. Image source.

It might seem unusual that Jerome, who was mainly known for his humourous writing, would involve himself in the Irish Question. However, in 1916 he did add his name to a petition that appealed for clemency for Roger Casement at his trial for treason following on from his attempt to bring in German military aid to Ireland for the Easter Rising. More about that here. Jerome also said that his wife Georgina Marris was "half Irish" so perhaps it was not that unusual that Jerome would write in support of Irish self-determination in 1920. 

 

Title of my article in History Today February 2025.

As I mention in my article in History Today, Irish republicans used Jerome's article to show that their push for freedom was being supported by others around the world. News about his magazine article featured in newspapers around the world. Below is the cover of the pamphlet where a group called the Friends of Irish Freedom reproduced Jerome's article.

 

Cover of pamphlet produced by the Friends of Irish Freedom. Image source.

Irish traditions around Christmas - post on RTÉ Brainstorm

Several traditions and customs in Ireland around Christmas time date back centuries. Some are still observed today even though Ireland and Irish society have changed over time. 

One tradition that is still common in some parts of the country is the celebrations that take place on St. Stephen's Day or the Wren's Day as it is also known when people dress up and disguise themselves. In the past, they went from house to house asking for a donation to 'bury the wren'. Today, there is usually a charitable element to the enterprise where people dress as 'straw boys' as in the photograph from Carrigaline at the bottom of this post. I have just written a piece for RTÉ Brainstorm website about it. Read it here.

 

St Stephen's in Stradbally, Co. Kerry, 1930s. Image source.

Marie-Louise Sjoestedt (1900-1940) wrote about her first-hand experience of having a group of 'wren boys' come into the house where she was staying in Kerry at Christmas 1929. It is interesting to read about her impression of the festive period and the good natured celebrations. I wrote another Brainstorm piece on Sjoestedt and her connection to Ireland a little while ago. Read it here. 

 

'Straw boys' in Carrigaline, Co. Cork on St Stephen's Day 2022.

An Irish Diary on the Irish Chartist leader Feargus O'Connor

Feargus O'Connor was a leader of the Chartist movement which was one of the world's first mass working-class movements. I have just written an Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about his life and times. Read it here.

 

Feargus O'Connor (1794-1855). Image source.

Feargus O'Connor was a fascinating figure who left behind what could have been a comfortable life as a parliamentarian, lawyer or landlord for a life of struggle helping to bring about better civic rights for ordinary citizens. 

His entry in the Dictionary of Irish Biography is worth a read if you want to find out more about him. This website about Chartist ancestors has lots of information about O'Connor. There is also a good resume of O'Connor's life on the Manuscripts and Special Collections webpage of the University of Nottingham.

If you would like to find out more about Chartism, its origins and its aims, here are some useful links where you could start:

What was Chartism? UK National Archives website

Chartism BBC 'In Our Time' podcast

The Chartist movement BBC Bitesize

The Chartist movement UK Parliament website