Institute of Irish Studies

10/09/2026

"Beckett’s work is not an intellectual exercise, it is written to make you feel. It’s more akin to music. See how it makes you feel!" - Adrian Dunbar, co-curator of our Beckett Festival, talking to Liverpool Noise about Beckett and Liverpool.

Read the full interview at https://liverpoolnoise.com/arts-and-culture/adrian-dunbar-beckett-liverpool/

Beckett: Lieben runs 17 - 20 September, and has a range of FREE and paid events, including theatre, music, visual art, photography, film, dance and discussion.
Info + booking links: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/beckett

Adrian Dunbar discusses Samuel Beckett, Liverpool and Beckett: Lieben, exploring why Beckett’s work continues to resonate with audiences today.

10/09/2026

We are launching Civic Space 2, major cross-community initiative supporting people from different identities to engage constructively in discussion on constitutional futures.

Project lead, Professor Peter Shirlow, said: "I would encourage everyone with an interest in the constitutional future of Northern Ireland to visit the Civic Space 2 website. You will hear a wide range of voices and perspectives engaged in discussing this vital issue – listening to each other and using persuasive evidence-based argument."

Working alongside partners including New Gate Arts and Cultural Centre, ABC Health and Leisure Centre (Ardoyne), Compass Points and the GAA, the project has created a wide range of resources reflecting both pro-unity and pro-UK viewpoints.

All Civic Space 2 resources are freely available to use on social media and elsewhere. Data cited within the project is referenced and was correct at the time of publication.

The full suite of Civic Space 2 resources are available through the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, with some key links listed below.

Civic Space 2 website: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/irish-studies/research/research-projects/civic-space/civic-space-2026/

Playlist of Civic Space 2 videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLslTau6Ky2tFqJinwXX1OmuigGwv0V4HL

Press release: https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2026/09/09/new-initiative-creates-space-for-respectful-dialogue-on-northern-irelands-constitutional-future/

Thanks to Irish Foreign Ministry Reconciliation Fund for supporting this project.

10/09/2026

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Beckett: Lieben next week. Beckett: Lieben explores Beckett's fascination with German expressionism, which he first encountered through his relationship with the Sinclair family in Kassel in the 1930s.
Join us and our partners Unreal Cities (Adrian Dunbar and Nick Roth) and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies University of Notre Dame for a range of free and paid events across theatre, music, visual art, photography, film, dance and discussion/
Full info and ticket links: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/beckett/
Thanks to Culture Ireland for supporting this Festival.

One week to go until Beckett: Lieben 2026, an international festival celebrating the works of the iconic Irish writer Samuel Beckett! ✨

From 17-20 September, Liverpool will host four days of theatre, music, visual art, film, dance, photography and discussion exploring Beckett's fascination with German Expressionism.

Festival highlights include:

🎭 Play/Come and Go, directed by Adrian Dunbar at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse theatres
🎹 Six Paintings concert at The Tung Auditorium
🌳 Sean Scully's immersive Tree for Godot installation
🎬 The UK premiere of Declan Clarke's If I Fall, Don't Pick Me Up
🎟️ More Real Than Nothing, performed by students from Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts

Browse the full programme and book tickets: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/beckett/

Institute of Irish Studies | Culture Ireland

09/09/2026

Our Gerry Diver absolutely delighted to finally hold physical copies of "Love, Life and Death: John Minihan in His Own Words", which he edited with our PhD student Declan Houten.
Join Gerry, Declan and John for the launch on 20 September and get your copy for the special launch offer of £30!
🗓️5pm, 20 September
🧭LT1, Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, University of Liverpool
FREE registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1996799024635
More info on Beckett: Lieben our biennal Beckett Festival can be found at https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/beckett/

26/08/2026

Cover Reveal for 📸Love, Life and Death: John Minihan📸

A new retrospective📚 of John Minhan's photos, edited by our Gerry Diver and Declan Houten, out this September.

John Minihan is one of the most perceptive photographers of the twentieth century, rubbing shoulders with film stars, rock stars and royalty along the way, while also documenting everyday life.

Join John and the book's editors for the launch on 20 September and enjoy a special launch offer of £30!

🗓️5pm, 20 September 2026

🧭Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, University of Liverpool

FREE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1996979506461

The launch is part of 🎭Beckett: Lieben🎭, which runs from 17 - 20 September 2026, and explores Samuel Beckett's fascination with German expressionism.

For the full programme of theatre, music, visual art, photography, film, dance and discussion please see

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/beckett/

24/08/2026

Well done to MRes student James Hurley, who walked 25km last Saturday in support of Breast Cancer Now.
Breast Cancer Now funds support for those affected by breast cancer and research to improve treatments. Their aim is to ensure that by 2050 everyone diagnosed with breast cancer will live – and be supported to live well.
To support them and James' effort, please go to

Help James Hurley raise money to support Breast Cancer Now

18/08/2026

🎭Beckett: Lieben 🎭More Real Than Nothing - Stories & Silence from the Theatrical World of Samuel Beckett🎭

Funny, bleak and ultimately beautiful, a series of brief encounters across a haunting theatrical landscape invite us to confront the ultimate question: what, against all odds, keeps us going?
Bringing together Act Without Words, Quad, That Time, Rockaby, What Where, and extracts from First Love, More Real Than Nothing is a percussive journey through Samuel Beckett’s extraordinary imagination.

Performed by LIPA BA Acting and BA Dance Students

🗓18 & 19 September
🧭The George Harrison Workshop Studio, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
FREE registration required:

Tickets are now available for More Real Than Nothing - Stories and Silence from the Theatrical World of Samuel Beckett at The George Harrison Workshop Studio, Liverpool between Friday 18th September 2026 and Saturday 19th September 2026. Click the link for further information and to secure your tick...

18/08/2026

🎭Beckett: Lieben 🎥Kino / Cinema 🎭

🎥 If I Fall, Don’t Pick Me Up
Irish filmmaker Declan Clarke, explores the relationship between Samuel Beckett and German theatre director Walter Asmus
Following the screening, Walter Asmus will be joined onstage by Professor Mark Nixon for a Q&A.
12 noon, 18 September
FREE: https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/beckett-lieben-2026-film-screening-if-i-fall-dont-pick-me-up/

🎥Beckett Shorts
Including Alan Gilsenan’s Eh Joe (1986), Paul Joyce’s The Goad (1965) and the first screening of Michael O’Neill’s Peggy (2026).
2 pm, 19 September
FREE: https://everymanplayhouse.com/event/beckett-lieben-2026-beckett-shorts/

Beckett: Lieben runs from 17 - 20 September. For the full programme of theatre, music, visual art, photography, film, dance and discussion, please go to: www.liverpool.ac.uk/Beckett

Playhouse Hosted at Liverpool Playhouse Beckett: Lieben 2026 – Film Screening: If I Fall, Don’t Pick Me Up Book now Playhouse Fri 18 Sep 2026 Book now Running time Screening begins at 12pm. Running time: 1h56mins Tickets Free tickets – click book now to reserve yours. Join us, as part of the B...