Leading historians will discuss life in Ireland during the World War 11 at a special conference in Galway this weekend.
Marking the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the World War 11 in September, a conflict known in neutral Ireland as “The Emergency”, NUI Galway will host a conference tomorrow and Saturday - the highlight of which is a public lecture by world-renowned war correspondent and author, Robert Fisk.
According to one of the organisers, Séan Ó Duibhir, the conference will also include a number of novel events, including an exhibition on Emergency Ireland, and a special screening of the feature film, The Enigma of Frank Ryan. Co-financed by Tg4 and the United Kingdom Arts Council, this film explores the complex life of Frank Ryan, an IRA gunman and socialist who fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War, yet who died in Berlin while a guest of the Nazis.
Robert Fisk will speak at the Radisson Hotel tomorrow evening at 8pm, and conference organiser Mark Phelan says while Fisk is known for his expertise in the Middle East, few know he is also an expert on Irish history.
“Robert Fisk is perhaps the most famous international journalist in the field today. His dispatches are followed by a global audience, whilst he has written best-selling books on the Gulf War, the Balkan War, and the ongoing War on Terror. Yet not many people realise his first book addressed Irish neutrality during the Second World War.”
Places are limited so anybody wishing to attend is advised to arrive early, or otherwise e-mail the organisers at [email protected] beforehand. For further details about the conference, Google “The Emergency: Ireland in Wartime”.
