***The Darkness Echoing: Ireland's Places of Famine, Death and Rebellion – Gillian O’Brien

It’s no secret that the Irish are obsessed with misery, suffering and death. And no wonder, for there is darkness everywhere you look, in cemeteries and castles, monuments and museums, stories and song. Beginning with a virtual ramble around some fascinating locations in Kildare this talk will take the audience on a tour of some of Ireland’s most intriguing dark tourist sites. Alongside some tales of ghosts, wakes and accidental imprisonment the talk will challenge some old tropes about Irish history and question what we really know about our own past and what impact that has on our present and future.

Gillian O'Brien is Professor of Public History at Liverpool John Moores University. Her most recent book 'The Darkness Echoing' takes readers on a journey back in time and across the country as she visits battle sites, famine ships, graveyards and gift shops in search of Ireland's dark history. Prof O'Brien is also the author of 'Blood Runs Green: The Murder that Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago' and is a regular commentator on Irish history in newspapers and on the radio and television in Ireland and Britain.