The Center for Irish Studies at Villanova University Podcast Series

Poets Niamh Twomey and Emma Devlin with 2026 Heimbold Chair Cauvery Madhavan on Community, Creativity, and Environmental Writing

This podcast features novelist and our 2026 Heimbold Chair Cauvery Madhavan speaking with two poets from Queens University's Seamus Heaney Centre - Niamh Twomey, and Emma Devlin. They discuss the importance of creative community, emphasizing that writing is not purely solitary but shaped by conversation, friendship, teaching, reading, and exchange. A major focus is how environmental concerns and the climate crisis enter their work naturally rather than didactically. Devlin describes fiction shaped by transformation and ecological change, while Twomey discusses her eco-feminist reimagining of Irish myth through poetry. Together, the conversation highlights writing as a powerful way to respond to change, grief, imagination, and the natural world.

UCC Historians John Borgonovo and Hiram Morgan on the Future of Irish Historical Scholarship

This episode features University College Cork historians John Borgonovo and Hiram Morgan discussing the future of Irish historical scholarship after Ireland’s recent “decade of centenaries,” which commemorated events like the Easter Rising and the Irish Civil War. As Irish history shifts from commemorating revolutionary milestones, it is moving towards addressing contemporary issues through historical perspective—such as immigration and multiculturalism in modern Ireland, environmental degradation and land use, the legacy of colonial economic systems, debates about Irish neutrality and European security, and the ongoing constitutional future of Northern Ireland. In this conversation with Center Director Joseph Lennon, they explore the democratizing impact of digital archives like CELT (Corpus of Electronic Texts), the role of diaspora narratives in connecting Irish history to global migration stories, and the importance of humanities disciplines in an age of AI and digital information. They remind us that history is not only about the past but also a tool for interpreting present challenges and informing cultural, political, and ethical debates in contemporary society. John Borgonovo is a Senior Lecturer in the School of History at University College Cork. He has published extensively on different aspects of Ireland’s First World War and Revolutionary experiences. He was a co-editor of the critically acclaimed Atlasof the Irish University which was made into a television series. An active public historian, John frequently appears on Irish television and radio. Hiram Morgan (born Belfast, 1960) is a historian at University College Cork, where he has lectured since 1996. Educated at St Patrick’s College Knock and the University of Cambridge (BA–PhD), he is the author of Tyrone’s Rebellion (Royal Historical Society, 1993) and editor of several volumes including Political Ideology in Ireland (1999) and The Battle of Kinsale (2004). He co-founded History Ireland magazine and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals. Morgan currently directs CELT, the Corpus of Electronic Texts at UCC, one of the world’s largest digital resources for Irish studies.

Psychological Historian Charles Strozier on the Miracle of the Good Friday Agreement and Lessons for Making a Lasting Peace

Charles Strozier is the author of Making Peace in Northern Ireland: The Miracle of the Good Friday Agreement. In this conversation with Center Director Joseph Lennjon, Strozier discusses his distinctive approach to history—one that blends psychoanalytic insight with political and cultural analysis—to understand how empathy and inner transformation shaped the peace process. Reflecting on decades of scholarship spanning Abraham Lincoln, 9/11, and apocalyptic thought, Strozier traces how his curiosity about the psychology of violence and reconciliation led him to study figures like John Hume, David Trimble, Ian Paisley, and John Alderdice, the key “dramatis personae” of the Good Friday Agreement. Strozier explores the inner lives behind political change—how the painstaking act of listening across divides created what he calls “radical empathy,” making peace possible after generations of sectarian violence. The discussion ranges from the gendered dynamics of the talks to Northern Ireland’s shifting cultural identity in the post-Brexit era, concluding with Strozier’s reflections on hope, healing, and his current work on the psychology of idealization. It’s an illuminating look at how understanding human emotion and imagination can help explain not only history, but also the possibility of reconciliation in our own time.

Author Cauvery Madhavan on Migration, Identity, and Storytelling Between India and Ireland

Author Cauvery Madhavan discusses her journey from India to Ireland, where she reflects on the challenges and opportunities of migration, from adapting to small-town life to building community and a sense of belonging. In this conversation with Center Director Joseph Lennon, Madhavan emphasizes how migration shaped her identity and writing, blending Indian perspectives with Irish experiences, and how she and her family consciously chose to embrace Irishness while acknowledging their Indian roots. Through her novels—particularly The Inheritance and The Tainted—Madhavan explores the legacies of displacement, cultural hybridity, and the often complex histories of migrants and diasporas in Ireland and beyond. Cauvery Madhavan is an Indian-born writer living in Ireland. She is the author of four books of fiction and writes for the Irish Times. She lives with her husband and three children in County Kildare. Her first novel, Paddy Indian, follows an Indian immigrant in Ireland. His stories of acclimation speak of identity, belonging, and the home the young man left. The Tainted is a fictionalized account of mutiny amongst the Irish ranks of the Connaught Rangers in India at the zenith of the British Raj in 1920 and engages issues of race, prejudice and postcoloniality. Her most recent novel, The Inheritance, is a historical fiction about religion, culture, and family life in rural communities, interwoven with the true history of The Long March of O’Sullivan Beara in 1601.

Emma DeSouza on the Role of Women, Youth, and Community-Based Movements in Effecting Societal Change in Northern Ireland

In this final episode of our 6th season, Emma DeSouza - a journalist and civic leader from the North of Ireland - has a conversation with Political Science and Irish Studies Professor Cera Murtagh. They explore the evolving role of women and youth in Irish politics and society, discussing Emma’s journey into public engagement, the importance of representation, her perspectives on journalism’s role in civic life, and the challenges and opportunities for empowering future generations across Ireland. This conversation was recorded in March of 2025during her visit to Villanova. Emma DeSouza is the Founder and Co-facilitator of deliberative democracy platform The Civic Initiative, Director of the Northern Ireland Emerging Leaders Program at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York, and a transatlantic adviser on peace processes and civic innovation. As an award-winning campaigner she spearheaded an effort to change UK law in a landmark human rights case relating to the Good Friday Agreement.