The Public History of Slavery in Dublin

Dublin was one of the largest and busiest ports in Britain or Ireland throughout the era of the triangular slave trade and yet slavery barely figures in popular memory or heritage. This exploratory lecture examines the many reasons for this ‘invisibility'.

Dr Ciaran O'Neill is Ussher Assistant Professor of History at Trinity College Dublin.

The 24th annual Sir John T. Gilbert commemorative lecture, was hosted by Dublin City Library and Archive on 26 January 2021.

00:00 Welcome and by Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu and launch of the 23rd Gilbert Lecture publication: John McGahern's Dublin by Frank Shovlin.

3.54 Introduction by Dublin City Librarian Mairead Owens.

7.52 'The Public History of Slavery in Dublin' by Dr Ciaran O'Neill

55.44 Q&A moderated by Deputy City Librarian Brendan Teeling.

Ciaran mentions three books in the Q&A for anyone interested in learning more:

Ireland, Slavery and Anti-Slavery: 1612-1865 by Nini Rodgers. (2007)

If the Irish Ran the World. Montserrat, 1630-1730. Donald Akenson (1997)

Everyday Life in the Early English Caribbean: Irish, Africans, and the Construction of Difference by Jenny Shaw. (2013).