Watch 'War of Independence' Hedge School Online

Those of you who missed out on this fantastic  History Ireland hedge school event entitled The War of Independence: ‘four glorious years’ or squalid sectarian conflict? held here in early January can now watch it online here:

http://vimeo.com/35893747

The Four Glorious Years 1918-1921 was the title of Frank Gallagher’s (deputy director of the first Dáil’s Department of Publicity) account of the War of Independence. But how glorious were they? Recent scholarship, in particular the late Peter Hart’s on the war in West Cork, has cast it in a darker light with accusations of sectarianism and even ‘ethnic cleansing’ leveled against the IRA, which in turn has provoked a lively and sometimes vitriolic debate. The History Ireland Hedge School, with Tommy Graham Graham in the chair, has assembled scholars from a broad range of interpretations to bring this ongoing debate to a wider public.

Speakers: David Fitzpatrick (TCD), John M. Regan (University of Dundee), Eve Morrison (TCD) and John Borgonovo (UCC).

About the History Ireland Hedge School Series
Like their eighteenth-century predecessors, the hedge schools run by History Ireland are slightly subversive in nature – a unique combination of serious and playful round table discussions conducted by expert contributors, coupled with active participation by, and engagement with, a general audience. The idea behind the twenty-first-century version is that it too can be run ‘anywhere, any time and on any topic’. While not like an academic seminar in terms of its presentation style, it is like an academic seminar in terms of the discussion that takes place. All events are deliberately designed to be provocative, interactive and primarily driven by content.