On Saturday, 28th September, ADAPT Academic and Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin, Jane Ohlmeyer delivered an insightful talk at the Printworks, Dublin Castle, discussing how Ireland’s colonial history under English rule continues to shape its present and future. In conversation with Professor Patrick Geoghegan, Ohlmeyer explored the themes of her work, Making Empire, revisiting Ireland’s role as England’s oldest colony and how imperial frameworks influenced global history.
Her discussion, particularly relevant in the context of Brexit, ‘culture wars,’ and movements like Black Lives Matter and ‘Statues Must Fall,’ examined empire as a historical process rather than a singular event. Ohlmeyer focused on the early modern period between the mid-16th and mid-18th centuries, which marked the span of the First English Empire. By reflecting on this period, she emphasised how imperial legacies continue to inform contemporary social and political issues in Ireland and beyond.
