The Mitchell Institute co-hosted the recent Love & War Symposium, held on 15-17 May 2024: a thought-provoking exploration of love in various ways - romantic, familial, devotional, duty, care - and in relation to a number of conflicts from 1914 until our present day.

The event was opened on Wednesday 15 May by a Plenary Lecture on “Noli timere, frater”: Love, Letters and War’ by Professor Fran Brearton, Professor, School of Arts, English and Languages and Institute Fellow: Legacy, Queen’s University Belfast, followed by a reception. 

On Thursday 16 May, there were a number Panel Discussions followed by a Curator’s Tour of the ‘Troubles and Beyond’ exhibition at the Ulster Museum and academic presentations in the afternoon.  Poet Michael Longley gave a reading in the Irish Art Galleries to conclude the day. 

On Friday 17 May there were panels throughout the day, with a roundtable discussion to close the event.   

This symposium was co-ordinated by Institute Fellows: Legacy, Dr Alison Garden, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, School of Arts, English and Languages and Dr Ruth Duffy, Research Fellow, School of Arts, English and Languages. 

This event was hosted in partnership with the School of Arts, English and Languages, QUB.  It forms part of the interdisciplinary project Acts of Union: Mixed Marriage in Modern Ireland investigating the phenomenon of ‘mixed marriage’ or ‘love across the divide’ across the island of Ireland in the twentieth century.  The project is funded by UK Research and Innovation and is based at Queen’s University Belfast.  

Full details of the event can be found in the Symposium Pack here.

The Welcome and introduction, as well as Panel One of the Symposium, can be viewed below:

The recordings of the Panel discussions can be viewed at the links below:

Panel Two - Dr Maurice Casey and Dr Niamh Cullen

Panel Three - Anna Liesching and Dr Ruth Duffy

Panel Four - Professor Radhika Mohanram and Dr Sarah Irving

Panel Five - Dr Sabiha Allouche and Dr Mor Cohen

Panel Six - Dr Azadeh Sobout

Panel Seven - Dr Olesya Khromeychuk and Dr Roxani Krystalli

Roundtable - Malika Salah, Dr Eli Davies, Professor Dónal Hassett and Bayan Haddad