The conference is organised by the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI) in association with the Trinity Long Room Hub and will feature a host of prominent international and national experts and will mark the approach of the 250th anniversary of this transformative period in American history.

Talks will look at the connections between Ireland and North America during this period, Ireland’s military contribution to the American War of Independence, digital archives and the history of Ireland in the Age of Revolutions, and much more.  

Speakers include Professor Finola O’Kane (UCD);  Professor Eliga Gould (New Hampshire and Oxford); Professor Nicholas Canny (Galway); Professor Thomas Bartlett (Aberdeen); Professor Patrick Griffin (Notre Dame); Professor Martyn Powell (Bristol); and Dr James Stafford (Columbia).

Former early career researchers at the Trinity Long Room Hub, Henry Swords and Holly Ritchie (Trinity School of Histories and Humanities) will speak on a panel chaired by Professor David Dickson (Trinity College Dublin) entitled 'Patriotism, Loyalism, and Catholicism in the Atlantic World'.

Co-organiser of the event, Dr Joel Herman, VRTI Research Fellow at Trinity’s School of Histories and Humanities, will deliver a talk titled ‘Reconsidering Legislative Independence: Revolution or Counter-Revolution?’.

Speaking in advance of the event Dr Herman said: “The approaching 250th anniversary of the United States (4 July 2026) has sparked a lively public conversation and debate about how the events of the American Revolution should be commemorated and remembered. Ireland was deeply entangled in these events and also reacted against the British Empire at this time.

“By bringing leading voices, and a number of exceptional early careers researchers together, the conference will explore Irish connections with the conflict, the archives and records that allow us to trace these connections, and the shared experiences of Irish and American peoples during the Age of Revolutions.”

Listen to Dr Joel Herman speaking to Director of the Trinity Long Room Hub, Patrick Geoghegan on Newstalk's Talking History: