Thursday, January 28
Global Irish Studies at Georgetown University, in association with Solas Nua, Irish Network-DC, and Georgetown’s Humanities Initiative, hosted:
Republic of Shame: Ireland’s Culture of Secrecy
A conversation with authors Caelainn Hogan and Caitríona Palmer
Thursday, January 28
In the wake of the publication on January 11 of the explosive and painful report of the commission of investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, join Caelainn Hogan (author of Republic of Shame: how Ireland punished ‘fallen women’ and their children) and Caitríona Palmer (author of An Affair with my Mother: a story of adoption, secrecy and love) as they discuss their recent books about the culture of secrecy surrounding childbirth, institutionalization, and adoption in Ireland. Moderated by Prof. Margot Backus, University of Houston (co-author of the recently published The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature)
Praise for Republic of Shame: “At least in The Handmaid’s Tale they value babies, mostly. Not so in the true stories here.” Margaret Atwood.
“[A] sensitive, can’t-look-away book … Through moving stories, Hogan shows how the past is still present” NPR
Praise for An Affair with my Mother: “A forensic account of how it feels to be…excluded from the facts of your own life. In its commitment to family love, to joy and truth, it is a gift.” Anne Enright, winner of the Man Booker Prize
This online event is free and open to the public. If, however, you wish to make a donation to support the Global Irish Studies series of free lectures and seminars, it will be gratefully received. Please go to our Giving page to make a tax-free donation or click on the button below
