In Conversation: Irish in Resistance during World War II
In Conversation: Irish in Resistance during World War II
October 14 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm IST
Ciara Hayes interviews journalist and author Clodagh Finn, author and lawyer John Morgan, and writer, poet and artist Mary Moynihan.
Through storytelling, poetry and conversation, the event explores the stories of Irish people in resistance during World War II
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Artists
Guest Speakers for In Conversation Event 14 October, 7-9pm: Clodagh Finn, Journalist and Award-Winning Author; John Morgan, Lawyer and Author; Mary Moynihan, Writer, Poet, Creator of Art and Photography
MC for In Conversation Event: Ciara Hayes, Producer, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality
Artists in Installation:
- Mary Moynihan, Writer, Poet, Creator of Art and Photography, Artistic Director, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary is a Curator and Artist on the Irish in Resistance during World War II Installation
- Amna Walayat, Visual Artist
- Hina Khan, Visual Artist
- Féilim James, Poet and Writer
- Jessica Rodrigues, Multidisciplinary Artist
Noah Sex, Visual Artist
Producer: Freda Manweiler, Company Manager and Producer, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality
Producer: Ciara Hayes, Producer, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality
Full Event Details
Project | Installation | In Conversation Event
IN CONVERSATION EVENT: Enjoy storytelling, poetry and conversation with Ciara Hayes, who interviews Clodagh Finn, journalist and award-winning author; John Morgan, solicitor and author and Mary Moynihan, writer, poet, creator of art and photography, exploring the individual stories of Irish people who stood up against fascism and persecution during World War II. Hear the stories of people such as Mary Elmes, Katherine ‘Kate’ McCarthy andSamuel Beckett, and themes of courage, humanity and resistance. Discover how each responded to the realities of fascism, war and persecution, standing up for humanity and the rights of others. Through conversation and poetry, followed by a Q + A with the audience, the speakers consider acts of solidarity, kindness, and non-violent resistance and the courage to protect the rights and humanity of others, while reflecting on the continuing relevance of these stories in our world today.
This unique In Conversation event takes place on Wednesday 14 October, 7–9pm at the Smashing Times Visual Art Gallery, 30 Sandycove Road, Sandycove, Dublin, A39V9P1.
Clodagh Finn and John Morgan are the co-authors of The Irish in the Resistance: The Untold Stories of the Ordinary Heroes Who Resisted Hitler published by Gill + Macmillan (2024).
‘You simply couldn’t stand by with your arms folded.’ These were the words of Samuel Beckett who famously returned to France from a holiday in Ireland when World War II broke out. His clandestine work against the Nazi occupation of Europe is well documented, but there were many other ordinary Irish people who joined the underground network. Some took up arms. Others gathered intelligence, sheltered fugitives, committed acts of sabotage or broke codes. This new history tells the stories of those forgotten Irish men and women. Discover Captain John Keany from Cork, who parachuted into occupied Italy to help the local Resistance; Margaret Kelly, the Dublin founder of the world-famous Bluebell Girls cabaret troupe in Paris, who hid her Jewish husband; and Catherine Crean, the Irish governess born on Moore Street, Dublin, who was sent to a concentration camp for helping Allied airmen in Belgium. These, and many more stories, span the course of World War II and remind us of the power of individuals to make a difference. ‘An eye-opening account of how ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations helped to fight the Nazis’ David McCullagh ‘A truly important and ground breaking book’ Mary Kenny
PROJECT: Irish in Resistance during World War II is an ongoing project by Smashing Times that remembers and shares the stories of Irish people who resisted fascism and totalitarianism during the Holocaust and World War II, and who courageously spoke out for the rights and dignity of others. Smashing Times has a deep passion for remembering, telling and sharing these important stories of courage, resistance and human rights. Through multidisciplinary artistic practice, the project brings these often lesser-known histories to life and invites audiences to reflect on the importance of standing up against injustice.
INSTALLATION: As part of the 2026 Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival, Smashing Times presents the Irish in Resistance During World War II Multidisciplinary Installation as a special one-day-only pop-up exhibition on Wednesday 14 October, 10am–9pm. The pop-up installation features 12 storyboard artworks created by Mary Moynihan (each featuring a story, headshot and photographic artwork inspired by Irish and European landscapes). Accompanying the storyboard artworks are a series of original artworks created in response to the stories on display. The artworks are created by Hina Khan, visual artist; Amna Walayat, visual artist; Féilim James, writer and poet; Mary Moynihan, writer, poet and creator of art and photography; Jessica Rodrigues, Visual Artist and Noah Sex, visual artist. The exhibition is curated by Mary Moynihan, and was originally funded through The Arts Council Commissions Award under visual art, literature, and festivals, and presented as part of the Smashing Times Artist Development Programme.
Speaker Biographies:
Clodagh is a journalist and author of ‘Through Her Eyes: a history of Ireland in 21 women’ and ‘A Time to Risk All’, a biography of Mary Elmes. Clodagh writes An Irishwoman’s Diary in the Irish Examiner and has worked as a sub-editor and feature writer for several newspapers. She has a degree in French and Archaeology from UCD and is particularly interested in writing about the forgotten women of history.
John Morgan is a Dublin-based Lawyer who has a longstanding interest in the history of World War II, particularly in relation to Allied Resistance and Escape Lines. He has actively researched the Irish involvement in the Resistance and, in 2014, assisted with the creation and unveiling of a memorial in the Irish College in Paris to, in the words of the memorial, the ‘Irish men and women who served the cause of the liberation of France, 1940-1944’. John is a Trustee of the Escape Lines Memorial Society (UK-based) and Co-founder of the Basque Pyrenees Freedom Trails Association (Basque Country/Spain).
Clodagh Finn and John Morgan are the co-authors of The Irish in the Resistance: The Untold Stories of the Ordinary Heroes Who Resisted Hitler published by Gill + Macmillan (2024).
Organisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):
