Liam Ó Laoghaire, qui êtes-vous?: Language, Nationalism, and the Odd Bedfellows of 1940s Irish Film Culture

Date: Thursday, Jan. 30
Time: 3:30 pm
Location: Admin C280 (Convocation Green Room), Administration Building

This event is free and open to the public. 

About this event

This talk will discuss the early work of Liam O'Leary, today mostly remembered as the founder of the Irish Film Institute and a sort of grandfather-figure for Irish film culture.

Like many nationalist intellectuals of his day he was part of the rather wide circle formed by Craobh na hAiséirghe, the branch of the Gaelic League that eventually became Ailtirí na hAiséirghe, a pro-fascist political party led by Gearóid Ó Cuinneagáin.

Both contributed short essays to the pamphlet Scannáin, part of a series of pamphlets published by Craobh na hAiséirghe in 1942 . The year before Ó’Leary had directed a short amateur film (shot on 9.5mm) called Aiséirghe, basically a campaign film for the group. As the 1940s wore on Clann na Poblachta eventually drained away much of Aiséirghe’s support, so much so that R.M. Douglas’ 2009 book on the party asks if it was “Aiséirghe light?” O’Leary, in turn, would during that period direct what is one of his best-known early films, the highly critical Clann na Poblachta campaign film Our Country? (1948).

We will ask here what these early days of O’Leary’s career tell us about the political culture of Ireland right before and right after WWII, and why the complexity of those days is largely absent from discussions of Irish cinema and Irish cultural practice generally.

About the Millard Lecture

The Peter Millard lecture honors Dr Peter Millard (1932-2001). Dr. Millard, head of the English Department (1985-91), was highly influential in gay and human rights. USask established the Peter Millard Scholarship (1994), Canada’s first university-administered scholarship for research in gay and lesbian studies.

About Professor White

Jerry White teaches and writes about cinema, literature, and culture in Quebec, Canada, and Europe. He has written multiple books on these subjects, curated film programs in Canada and Europe, written for film magazines and newspapers, and served on several editorial boards. He is a past president of the Film Studies Association of Canada and of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies.

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