Gillian O'Brien

Brainstorm

Prof Gillian O'Brien is Professor of Public History and Programme Leader for the MA in Modern History at Liverpool John Moores University. She is a former Research Ireland awardee

Waylon Gary White Deer, a member of the Choctaw Nation, appears on Fair City to mark Cass Cassidy's birthday. Photo: Lafayette Photography

The ties that bind the Irish people and the Choctaw Nation

From the Famine to Fair City, it's clear that the relationship between the Irish and the Choctaw Nations is being actively maintained

History • 03 Apr

What the Big Fellow kept under his bed in Dublin. Photo: Brenda Malone, Curator of Military History at the National Museum

The story behind Michael Collins' wolf slippers

They're a well-worn pair of size 9, bright blue wool slippers with a wolf's head stitched on the toe caps

History • 15 Aug 24

Wokers Cannon Street railway station in London in 1958. Photo: Harry Todd/Fox Photos/Getty Images

Why do some emigrants rarely feature in Ireland's diaspora story?

We need to tell a greater range of stories about the Irish emigrant experience than just tales of great triumph over adversity

History • 02 Sep 21

The Number Twenty Nine museum. Photo: ESB/Number Twenty Nine

Why the ESB's decision to turn a museum into apartments is wrong

There are many other buildings in Dublin that could be converted into homes if urban regeneration was supported and not stymied

Heritage • 05 Feb 21

"Undoubtedly, Mrs Doyle from Father Ted spoke for vast swathes of Irish people when, disgusted by the TeaMaster salesman who assured her that his contraption took the misery out of making tea, she retorted, 'Maybe I like the misery.'"

What's behind the Irish obsession with death and misery?

An extract from Gillian O'Brien's new book The Darkness Echoing: Exploring Ireland's Places of Famine, Death and Rebellion

History • 07 Jan 21

'There's a big difference between returning for a funeral or to see family and visiting for a holiday'

When you can't go home: Irish citizens abroad and the lockdown

Thousands of Irish emigrants have had to recalibrate their relationship with home since the introduction of travel restrictions

Ireland • 29 Jul 20

Kilmainham Gaol, one of 750 National Monuments under the care of the Office of Public Works

What's the government's problem with heritage?

Successive governments make a huge deal about the significance of Ireland's rich culture and heritage, but rarely deliver

Heritage • 17 Jul 20

Home Babies by Alison Lowry from (A)dressing Our Hidden Truths at the National Museum of Ireland

Shining a light on Ireland's hidden history of abuse

A new exhibition about the Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Homes and industrial schools urges us to ensure such houses of horror never occur again

Magdalene Laundries • 18 Apr 19

Lough Feeagh and the Nephin mountains in Co Mayo. Photo: Michael Chambers

Time to have your say on Ireland's future heritage plan

It's important that the Heritage Ireland 2030 plan seeks to restore, enhance and develop heritage and not just value and protect it

Heritage • 08 Nov 18

The end of history: taking in the sights at Glasnevin Cemetery

Why history should remain compulsory for Junior Cycle

Children need to see Irish history in the sort of broad national and international context that only formal education can provide

History • 01 Aug 18