Author Talk: Rory Sweetman: CANCELLED

Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising

Dr Rory Sweetman will reveal how five Kiwi soldiers, acting as the core of a small squad of colonial troops, provided a vital shield to protect Ireland’s oldest university from capture by the rebels during the insurrection that marked the birth of Irish independence. Using hitherto unexplored letters written home by the New Zealanders, his book, Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising (Dublin, 2019) —answers questions left unasked in previous studies: how close did Trinity come to being a central battleground in the Rising? How and why did it escape this grisly fate? And—not least—what might have happened but for the intervention of the New Zealand troops?

The book has recently been described by the Sunday Post (Dublin) as ‘a superb piece of historical excavation and a reminder that even well-trodden ground can sometimes yield up new treasures.’ Rory will discuss the various sources he used to write the book (including family letters, oral histories, military files, pension records, newspapers, diaries, War Office file). Copies of the book will be available for a special price of $40.