Detailed Information
AE-HN521 - From Lemass to Dickie Rock the History of Ireland in the 1960s
How did people in 1960s Ireland live? What kind of changes did they live through? How did they interact with the wider world? What kind of popular culture did they consume? This course will answer these questions and introduce students to the history of this period. Students will learn about political changes during the period, such as the handover in power from Éamon De Valera and Sean Lemass, the beginning of the Troubles, and the women’s rights movement. The course will also cover key political developments such as the introduction of free secondary education and the Dublin housing crisis. They will also learn about the economic changes that happened during the decade, particularly the rise in standards of living that occurred in the 1960s. An emphasis will be placed on the impact of these changes on “ordinary people”. This course will also look closely at the popular culture of the 1960s. It will look at changes in the showband scene during this time and at newer musical trends such as beat music and folk music. It will also examine the youth subcultures that formed around this music like the hippies, beats, and teddy boys. Students will also learn about the creation of Telefís Éireann and cinema going in the 1960s. This course will also introduce students to a number of important primary sources from the period, like advertisements, television clips, and magazines.
Duration: 8 Mondays
Time: 11:00-13:00
Dates: 29 Sept; 6, 13, 20 Oct (no class 27 Oct); 3, 10,17, 24 Nov
- Music in the 1960s (e.g. showbands, beat groups, the folk scene)
- Television and film in the 1960s
- Youth culture in the 1960s (e.g. hippies, beats, teddy boys)
- Student culture
- The Irish Women’s Liberation Movement
- The Troubles
- The Programme for Economic Expansion
- The Dublin housing crisis of 1963
- The introduction of free secondary education
- The Lemass Government
All readings for this course will be electronic and range from academic journal articles and book chapters, to videos, playlists, and images of primary sources. A reading list will be provided at the start of the course and no materials will be needed in advance. No prior knowledge of the topic is assumed.
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Outline important debates around the history of the 1960s in Ireland.
- Discuss social, political, and economic developments in 1960s Ireland.
- Evaluate important developments in popular culture during the period.
- Explain important social movements that formed during the 1960s.
- Adeptly use primary source materials in their own work. (e.g. advertisements, television clips, magazines)
Each class will be divided between a lecture and a group discussion/activity. The lecture will offer an overview of themes and key events relevant to the topic. The group discussion/activity will centre around analysis of primary sources relevant to the topic.
Dr. Morgan Wait holds a PhD from Trinity College Dublin on the history of women and television in Ireland. She is interested in the social history of late 20th century Ireland and popular culture. She currently works as a postdoctoral researcher at UCD.