Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University to host conference

Hunger Museum - Helen Bennett

HAMDEN -  Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University will act as host for the conference, "Children and the Great Hunger," on June 14-17, according to a release.

 

 

"In any sustained period of food hunger and famine, children are one of the most vulnerable groups in terms of disease and mortality. The Great Hunger that occurred in Ireland between 1845 and 1852 is no exception," the release said.

 

The conference, which will take place on the York Hill Campus and is co-hosted by the Irish Heritage Trust, seeks to explore the impact of famine on children and young adults. While the focus will be on Ireland’s Great Hunger, a comparative approach is encouraged. It is anticipated that a selection of papers will be published."

 

Hunger Museum

“This conference is building on the success of our two earlier international conferences, which attracted scholars and students from across the Atlantic,” said Christine Kinealy, professor of history and director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, also in the release. “Although children are always at the forefront of suffering during any sustained famine, they have been the subject of relatively few studies. This conference is groundbreaking.”

 

The keynote speakers are: Kinealy, Maureen Murphy of Hofstra University, Mark McGowan of Toronto University and Gerard Moran of Galway University.  In addition, 30 other scholars will present papers, the release said..

"The program will also include a reading by acclaimed Irish novelist Michael Collins and feature several special events: a visit to Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac, a stop at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, and an opportunity to explore New Haven."
 

For more information or to register, call Ann Marie Godbout at (203) 582-6576.

"Ireland's Great Hunger Institute is a scholarly resource for the study of the Great Hunger, which is also known as An Gorta Mór. Through a strategic program of lectures, conferences, course offerings and publications, the institute fosters a deeper understanding of this tragedy and its causes and consequences. To encourage original scholarship and meaningful engagement, the institute develops and makes available the Great Hunger Collection, a unique array of primary, secondary and cultural sources, to students and scholars. In educating people of all ages and backgrounds about the Great Hunger, the institute also supports the mission of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac."

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