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CHOMI Public Engagement

UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland (CHOMI) has been committed to the use of new media to engage with academic communities and interested publics. The Centre podcasts its annual seminars, workshops and public engagement events; it also has a research blog, media and project websites, and we run several social media accounts.

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History of Medicine in Ireland Blog

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A Malady of Migration

A theatrical examination of diaspora, displacement and mental disorders in the 19th century

Research undertaken by the Centres for the History of Medicine at University College Dublin and at the University of Warwick on the relationship between migration and mental illness was given the dramatic treatment in 2014 in what was a unique collaboration between the centres and renowned theatre company(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Talking Birds.

The piece, entitled ‘A Malady of Migration’, was performed at the New Theatre, Dublin (3-5 July 2014) and the Shop Front Theatre in Coventry (26-28 June 2014). The production made the findings of the research accessible to the public in an entertaining form and also opened up conversations about mental illness and its history.

There were expert paneldiscussions after the Thursday evening performances in each venue and a post performance discussion on Saturday lunchtime, providing opportunities for audience members to discuss the making of the piece with researchers and the theatre company, and to engage in debate on issues raised by the performances.

Background Reading to Malady of Migration

Burke and Hare 'The ready-made nucleus of degradation and disorder': Crime and the Irish in the Nineteenth Century
In 1828 the Irish migrants William Burke and William Hare committed a series of murders in Edinburgh, in order to sell the corpses to the surgeon and anatomist, Doctor Robert Knox (1791-1862)
Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the county of Lancashire recorded the second highest rates of confinement of pauper lunatics in England. ‘Receptacles for the Insane: ’Accommodating Pauper Lunacy in Nineteenth-Century Lancashire
Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, the county of Lancashire recorded the second highest rates of confinement of pauper lunatics in England.
From 1846 onwards, a growing anxiety permeated Britain concerning the threat being posed to the health of the public by the ‘unseen lethal baggage’ being brought from Ireland on immigrant steam ships. The ‘Hospital and Cemetery of Ireland’: The Irish and Disease in Nineteenth-Century Liverpool
From 1846 onwards, a growing anxiety permeated Britain concerning the threat being posed to the health of the public by the ‘unseen lethal baggage’ being brought from Ireland on immigrant steam ships.
asylum The Irish, Migration, and Isolation in Nineteenth-Century Lancashire
Many of the Irish migrants who were admitted to asylums and workhouses in Lancashire during the nineteenth century had experienced isolation and a lack of community support when they arrived in England.
migration Irish Migration to Liverpool and Lancashire in the Nineteenth Century
Attracted by the prospect of work and relief through the English Poor Law system, considerable numbers travelled to the major towns and cities of the northwest of England.
sectarianism The Irish, Politics and Sectarianism in Nineteenth-Century Liverpool
Irish migrants who arrived in Liverpool after the 1840s placed a huge strain on the city’s resources and were charged with spreading disease, raising poor rates, and increasing pressure on scarce working-class housing.
Poverty,welfare, insanity Poverty, Welfare and Insanity amongst Irish Migrants
Throughout the nineteenth century large numbers of impoverished Irish migrants relocated to England where they contributed significantly to both workhouse and asylum populations.
Lunatic Asylum Shattered in bodily health and condition
The processes of treatment and management considered suitable for the lunatic insane underwent a transformation in the 1800s.
Tramping People A peculiar tramping people
Numerous Irish migrants ended up in asylums after prolonged periods wandering across Lancashire, England or even the globe.
Disorder Contained

Disorder Contained

Research informs new play exploring the effect of solitary confinement on mental health

A major public engagement activity for the Wellcome Trust funded project (opens in a new window)Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland 1850-2000, Disorder Contained: A theatrical examination of madness, prison and solitary confinement draws on the work (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Catherine Cox (UCD) and Professor Hilary Marland (Warwick) and is Cox’s also collaborated on A Malady of Migration, exploring aspects of the history of mental illness.

The production, created with(opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Talking Birds and to be performed in Coventry, Dublin, Belfast, and London during 2017, will be accompanied by Expert Panel Discussions as well as Post-show Artistic Conversations which will be recorded along with a performance. Read our Synopsis.

Audience feedback, both from the general public and those working within the prison estate, will be really important to the activity. What did people think of the show? How did it change their perceptions? What might change as a result of attending the event?

We have posted several (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)blogs  about the process of translating academic research into accessible theatre, as well as various pieces of (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)background reading.

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Contact UCD Centre for the History of Medicine in Ireland

School of History, Room J113, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
T: +353 1 716 8185