'Mixed Marriage' in modern Ireland set to be discussed in Co Kilkenny

The South Kilkenny Historical Society's second lecture of 2024 will take place on Friday, February 23 in the Parish Hall, Mullinavat, when Dr Ruth Duffy and Dr Alison Garden will talk about mixed marriages in Ireland  - 'Acts of Union: Mixed Marriage in Modern Ireland'.

This lecture will give an insight into the history of mixed marriage, and mixed relationships, in twentieth-century Ireland—offering us a glimpse into people’s lives during an extraordinarily turbulent period in Irish and British history.

Taking an all-island approach and looking at a variety of sources – including oral history, popular fiction, poetry, archival materials and more – Ruth and Alison will explore the vast complexities of sustaining a relationship across political and/or religious divides, drawing from a range of moments across the twentieth century.

Dr Ruth Duffy is a historian of medical and oral history and is currently a Research Fellow at Queen's University Belfast In the School of Arts, English and Languages.

Her expertise lies in modern British and Irish history; the Troubles, medicine, Irish society and culture and focuses closely on using oral history as a method to uncover hidden or sensitive histories.

Dr Alison Garden is a Senior Lecturer at Queen's University Belfast. She is an inaugural member of Young Academy Ireland; a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society; and a Fellow of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.

Dr Garden is also a literary critic and cultural historian, fascinated by how national narratives intersect with the intimate, everyday realities of people’s lives and the stories we tell about this.