Ghosts in Britain and Ireland 1500-1950 History Conference

For much of the past five hundred years, ghosts have dominated the supernatural landscape. The ways in which the dead have been perceived by the living has changed significantly over time, both in terms of their various guises and the contexts in which they appear. Despite this they still remain understudied, and the potential ghosts have to shed light on key historical moments. 

This conference will explore representations of the revenant dead in the Irish and British Isles in historical context. Taking a broad chronological scope we will shed light on how representations of ghosts changed over time, and how they can illuminate specific historical moments. We will place ghost beliefs and accounts of sightings of, or engagements with, the dead within their historical context, and consider how these stories were shaped by ideas about religion, community, neighbourhood, gender, space and place, emotion, and the supernatural more broadly. 

• When: 25 - 27 June, 2025
• Where: Rooms G10 and 202, Foundation Building, MIC Limerick Campus

Conference registration is now open.

Register
 

Keynote Speakers: Prof. Sasha Handley, The University of Manchester & Dr Shane McCorristine, Newcastle University

Conference organised by Dr Charlotte-Rose Millar (Melbourne), Dr Andrew Sneddon (Ulster), Dr Clodagh Tait (MIC)

MIC is situated just 20 minutes from Shannon Airport and is also just off the M7 Motorway which links with Dublin Airport.  

It is also a 15 minute walk from Colbert Rail and Bus Station in Limerick City, meaning public transport is an option for visitors also.

One of your rights under EU law is that you must be informed when your personal data - also known as personal information - is processed (collected, used, stored) by any organisation including one of the EU institutions. You also have the right to know the details and purpose of that processing.

This notice will outline the processing of personal data of attendees of the Ghosts in Britain and Ireland 1500-1950 History Conference. As co-hosts of this conference with Ulster University, The University of Melbourne, The Hunt Museum and Limerick Museum, Mary Immaculate College (MIC) may collect your personal data only to the extent necessary for conference organisational purposes; to provide you with information about the conference (before, during and after) and process your application to attend. Where necessary, we may also share your information with service providers for the purposes of organising the conference and associated events.

How we use your personal data

If registering for the conference, we will collect some of your personal data for the purposes of processing your registration and for organisational matters. The data you provide will not be used for any additional purposes.

The personal data we will collect via our online form includes:

• Name
• Email
• Institution of Affiliation/Organisation
• Dietary & Access Requirements

MIC will delete this data immediately after the conference has taken place. We provide you with the option to express your consent in the registration form.

Visit the Data Protection Officer at the MIC Information Compliance page on the MIC website for more information on your rights and how to exercise them.