Suicide in Dublin during the Great Famine

As part of the Trinity Talks: Dublin’s Hidden Histories series, a new collaboration between the Trinity Long Room Hub and Near FM.

Please register here.

This event will include references to topics such as self-harm and suicide. Resources for anyone bereaved by suicide or having suicidal thoughts, can be found here on the HSE website: https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/mental-health-services/nosp/help/  

We know that the Great Famine resulted in the death of over 1 million people from starvation and disease, but very rarely do we hear about those that died by suicide. Through desperation and despair many were driven to end their own lives. In this live recording, Georgina Laragy, Dublin Cemeteries Trust Assistant Professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin, will talk about Famine times--the relief schemes, emigration, and cases that had nothing at all to do with the Famine, demonstrating that for those not directly affected by the failure of the potato crop, life went on, as did deaths other than by starvation and famine fever.  
Through a discussion of two cases of suicide which took place in the Dublin region at the time of the Famine, Georgina will demonstrate the impact of the Famine on wider Irish society and assess the trauma that historians speak about generally when we think of the Famine and Irish history.  

Dr Georgina Laragy is Dublin Cemeteries Trust Assistant Professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage at Trinity College Dublin. As an Irish historian, her work focuses largely on social history, in particular the history of suicide, death and poverty in nineteenth and twentieth century Ireland. As part of her role, Dr Laragy works with the Dublin Cemeteries Trust at Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum developing their public history, education and research activities. 
This talk will be subsequently broadcast on Near FM. You can listen to Near FM online www.nearfm.ie/livestream or on 90.3FM. 
Performances by An Góilín Traditional Singing Club.

These events and subsequent radio series are supported by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television licence fee.

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: tlrh@tcd.ie