In 1729, Jonathan Swift suggested in ‘A Modest Proposal’ (follow the link to read the essay for free) that poor Irish peasants could sell their babies as food for the rich. If this satire was meant to goad those in power to alleviate the dire state of the Irish peasantry, it did not succeed. Famine continued to haunt Ireland, culminating in the devastation of The Great Famine of the 1840s. The historical context will be followed by a short discussion of Swift’s document, and some poetry of the Great Hunger.

The Irish Studies Series (Thursdays, 29 Oct – 19 Nov): In this short course, we will explore those links, focusing on four key periods. Dr Patrick Murphy will give a short account of the historical and political background, and Dr Deirdre O’Byrne will talk briefly on some literary representations of the chosen period. Each session will end with a Q & A session from the audience.

All sessions are live online and will subsequently be made available on the Five Leaves Bookshop YouTube channel. To register and receive a link to access the live Zoom event, please email events@fiveleaves.co.uk.

PLEASE NOTE: registration for all our live online events closes 1 hour before the event starts.

All sessions are free, although you may wish to make a donation to Emmanuel House, Nottingham.