Very successful conference on Imprisonment and the Irish

Published date: 09 September 2009

On 4 and 5 September Mater Dei Institute of Education hosted a very successful conference on Imprisonment and the Irish. The conference brought together scholars from Ireland, Britain and the United States who are currently working in the area of penal history.

The event was marked by a series of lively and original papers and discussions on such themes as imprisonment under emergency legislation, transportation, prisoners of war, political imprisonment, women’s prison experiences, penal reform, and juvenile prison experiences. Among the highlights were the lectures by two keynote speakers Professor David Arnold (University of Warwick) and Professor Padraic Kenney (Indiana University).

The conference will undoubtedly encourage publication in the area of prison history and it is the hope of the organisers, William Murphy (MDI) and James McConnel (Northumbria University), and William Sheehan (organiser of a recent conference on riot at Mary Immaculate College) that a research network on the history of criminal justice in Ireland will emerge from the conference. If anyone is interested in joining such a network feel free to contact William Murphy.

(L-R) Dr Katherine Foxhall (University of Manchester), Dr William Murphy (MDI, conference organizer), Dr Andrew McGrady (Director of MDI), Dr James McConnel (Northumbria University, conference organizer), Dr Heather Jones (London School of Economics and Politics), Dr Michael Biggs (University of Oxford)