Ireland in the 1970s

The 1970s arrived half a century after independence and it was a time when people started questioning the old way of doing things in this country.

So what was this decade like in terms of social change, culture and consumerism?

HIstorian, Diarmaid Ferriter who has just brought out a book on this decade and Jim Lockhart whose band Horslips redefined Irish music in the 1970s discussed this period.

Diarmaid’s book Ambiguous Republic – Ireland in the 1970s is published by Profile Books.

Horslips will be playing in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on the 14th and 15th of December.

Smock Alley Theatre

Smock Alley, Dublin’s oldest theatre which dates back to 1662, became the capital’s newest theatre earlier this year when it reopened following major renovation .

Over the centuries, the theatre has been through many guises and even an archaeological excavation.

So there’s a rich history attached - and the theatre is looking for stories and memorabilia from people who have memories of the Smock Alley buildings over the years for a planned exhibition.

Patrick Sutton, the director of Smock Alley Theatre came in to tell us about the theatre's history and their upcoming exhibition.

If you have a story or memorabilia connected to Smock Alley, St. Michael & John’s Church, the schools or the Viking Centre, you can email info@smockalley.com.

Ireland in Brick and Stone

Just as Irish history is often associated with iconic figures like O’Connell, Parnell, de Valera and Collins so is it tied in with iconic buildings. The GPO is forever associated with the 1916 Rising, the Bank of Ireland with Grattan’s parliament and so on.

A new book, Ireland in Brick and Stone takes those associations a step further. The author, Richard Killeen, whose daytime name is Fergal Tobin of the publishers Gill and Macmillan, chose a few of the buildings to talk to us about on the programme.

Ireland in Brick and Stone by Richard Killeen is published by Gill and Macmillan

Next Week's Programme - 2 December Book Club

The History of Toys – from Spinning Tops to Robots
by Deborah Jaffe (Sutton publishing).

Email history@rte.ie

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