It has been 100 years since the Easter Rising in Ireland -- when Irish nationalists rebelled against the British government in Dublin and other parts of the country in 1916. The rebellion eventually led to Irish independence and civil war.
This hour, we hear about a performance by the New Haven Gaelic Players that portrays the events of the uprising and the people affected.
We’ll talk with the play’s director and a cast member who has family roots steeped in the movement for Irish independence. We’ll also learn more about how the uprising is tied to the Great Irish Famine nearly 70 years earlier.
Did you know Quinnipiac University is the site of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum? We’ll speak to a professor about the breadth of historical material found right here in Connecticut about the Irish famine.
It’s also Halloween so we can’t let the hour pass without exploring some of the spookiest sites in our state with travel writer J.W. Ocker.
Do you like visiting old graveyards and haunted houses?
GUESTS:
- Eileen O'Keefe Roxbee - Performer in the New Haven Gaelic Players' rendition of "The Plough and the Stars", President of the Irish American Community Center
- Brian Beirne - Director of the New Haven Gaelic Players' rendition of "The Plough and the Stars"
- Christine Kinealy - Professor of History and Director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University
- J.W. Ocker - Travel Writer and creator of the website Odd Things I've Seen, Author of the new book A Season with the Witch: The Magic and Mayhem of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts
"The Plough and the Stars" premiers Wednesday, November 9 in East Haven. Tickets can be purchased here.
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Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
