May 14 Update: Full schedule and abstracts now available.

The 9th iteration of the Irish Theatrical Diaspora conference will be held in the culturally vibrant and historically significant city of Derry/Londonderry, and is being organized by Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick at the School of Creative Arts, University of Ulster. Professor Gay McAuley will be giving the conference keynote address. More information on Professor McAuley is available on the Program page.

The conference aims to build upon the scholarly work already done by the Irish Theatrical Diaspora project, and to extend it in an exploration of performances of ‘The North’. Tracing the trajectories of emigrants from the North of Ireland to Scotland, Newfoundland, New England and Canada, the conference aims to analyze and explore performative and theatrical representations of ‘The North’ and the northerly migration of peoples. This migration stretches back to the Flight of the Earls and the Famine, and also includes recent historical events such as the exiling of individuals and families by paramilitary groups during and after the ‘Troubles’; movements of population within Northern Ireland in response to violent sectarianism, and economic and cultural migration. It further aims to recognize Northern Ireland’s history of immigration, most famously of the Chinese community which established itself in Belfast in the early 1960s, and the recent establishment of Central and Eastern European communities, which are slowly reshaping Northern Ireland’s cultural landscape and conception of diversity. 

Please see the Program page for more details, and the main website of the Irish Theatrical Diaspora for the project's research history. The Location page has information about the city.

We hope to see you in June!