On 18 February 2025, Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Professor of Contemporary Irish History, delivered her sold-out Inaugural Lecture at Trinity College Dublin’s Robert Emmet Theatre.
Titled “Stories from the Margins: History and the Making of Modern Ireland”, the lecture explored everyday struggles and survival in Irish history, focusing on how gender, class, and power shaped daily life. Drawing from archival research, Professor Earner-Byrne highlighted the voices of ordinary people negotiating hardship in post-colonial Ireland.
She shared examples, including a 1922 letter from a Dublin mother of seven who wrote to the Archbishop in distress: “Most Rev. Archbishop, I will tell you a secret.” She feared her husband had lost his way in England and pleaded for help to bring him home. The talk examined how such stories reveal the hidden complexities of history and the biases within archival records.
Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, Professor Earner-Byrne described the lecture as a rare opportunity to acknowledge those who had influenced her journey. “We get relatively few opportunities in life to thank the people who have helped us along the way. I considered the opportunity to give an inaugural marking my Professorship in Contemporary Irish History a privileged chance to do just that.” She also noted the importance of bringing the Trinity community together to celebrate academic research, recognising the presence of the Provost, the Dean of College, colleagues, students, and her own family and friends.
In her address, she examined the intersection between the personal and the political, emphasising voices often overlooked in historical records. “I wanted to say something about change and what makes it possible. I was inspired by my own students and their bravery in the current geo-political moment and Rebecca’s Solnit’s contention that while ‘changing the story isn’t enough in itself … it has often been foundational to real changes.’ I think it is a very good time to consider her argument that most change ‘travels from the edges to the centre.”
Appointed Bank of Ireland Chair of Contemporary Irish History at Trinity College Dublin in August 2023, Professor Earner-Byrne has widely published on Irish history, focusing on poverty, welfare, gender, sexuality, and marginalised groups. She co-authored The Irish Abortion Journey, 1920–2018 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019) with Prof. Diane Urquhart of Queen’s University Belfast.
The lecture was followed by a reception in the Senior Common Room, where Professor Earner-Byrne celebrated with family, friends, students, and colleagues.
Please click here to visit the Faculty Inaugural Lectures web page to view the brochure, photos and video of Professor Earner-Byrne's Inaugural Lecture.
From left to right: Professor Micheál Ó Siochrú, Head of School of Histories and Humanities; Professor Carmel O'Sullivan, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Professor of Contemporary Irish History (2023); and Dr Linda Doyle, Provost of Trinity College Dublin.