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Dr Paul O'Brien

BA (UL) and PhD (UL)
Assistant Professor in Social & Environmental Education (Pedagogy of History)

• Email: Paul.OBrien@mic.ul.ie
• Location: JHN

More information

Publications (select):

Books

O’Brien, P., and Banks, W., Taprooms, Taverns & Alehouses: Limerick City Pubs, ca.1850-2024 (Limerick, 2024).

O’Brien, P., Waldron, P. and Walsh., L., Kilrush: Memories of an Irish Market Town (Limerick, 2021).

Monographs

O’Brien, P., The Glynns of Kilrush, County Clare, 1811–1940: Family, Business & Politics (Four Courts Press, 2019).

Articles and Book Chapters (select)

McMahon, R., O’Brien, P., Waldron P., ‘The courts of petty sessions, the law and humour in the writing of John Jackson (1812-1857)’ in Essays in Honour of Prof Nial Osborough (Four Courts Press, in preparation, 2025).

O'Brien, P., 'Peerless as a news gatherer and forceful as a writer of facts: James O'Sullivan (1850-1894)'. (in preparation, 2025). 

Dalton C. and O'Brien, P., 'Lake Cultural Histories - Snapshots' in Dalton C., de Eyto, E., and Jennings, E. (eds.) Lakes in Ireland – Mirrors of Change (2024).

O’Brien, P., ‘Hayes, Maurice Richard Joseph, Professor of Materia Medica, Radiologist and Surgeon’ in Dictionary of Irish Biography (Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, 2024).

O’Brien, P., and Davies, Helene ‘The Craven Widows, 1912−1916’ in Brian Hughes and Sean Glennon (eds.), Histories of Protestant Limerick, 1912-1923 (Limerick, 2024).

O’Brien, P., ‘Letter from J.P. Goodbody to Mr Brown, 9 July 1922’ in Brian Hughes and Benjamin Regan (eds.), Studying Revolution: Accounts of 91��Ƭ��, 1918–1923 (Limerick, 2022).

O’Brien, P., ‘Lane Joynt, William, Barrister, Crown and Treasury Solicitor, and Keeper of the Hanaper’ in Dictionary of Irish Biography (Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, 2019).

O’Brien P. & Dalton C., ‘Environmental History of the River Maigue’ in Irish Geography (June 2019).

O’Brien, P., ‘Lane Joynt, Richard, ‘Orthopaedic Surgeon, Metallurgist, and X-ray pioneer’ in Dictionary of Irish Biography (Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, 2017).

Media Publications

If Walls Could Talk, Limerick Leader, history column, October 2023 to present.

Recovering Irish Women Writers: 'Lady Virginia Sandars, a contemporary of Wilde, Hardy and Kipling'. Irish Women's Writing Network (27 May 2020).

Media contributions (select)

Television

BBC One, Who Do You Think You Are? ‘Melanie C, Spice-girl. and her Irish Roots’, 28 August 2024.

RTÉ One, Six One News, ‘War of Independence papers, medals saved from skip in Clare’, 14 June 2019.

TG4, Nuacht, ‘FÍSEÁN Cáipéisí a bhaineann leis an IRA i gCo an Chláir aimsir Chogadh na Saoirse faighte i dteach i gCill Rois’, 13 June 2019.

TG4, Nuacht, ‘She didn't miss a trick! Florence Clancy's letters, 1900-1958’, February 2018.

Radio

RTÉ Radio One, The Nine O’Clock Show, ‘Time Capsule Pub Discovered’, 24 November 2023.

RTÉ Radio One, Documentary on One, ‘The Custom of the Sea’, 12 August 2022.

RTÉ Radio One, Claire Byrne Show, ‘Coping with Online Learning’, 26 January 2021.

BBC Radio Belfast, Good Morning Ulster, ‘War of Independence papers, medals saved from skip in Clare’, 17 June 2019.

Newstalk, Talking History, ‘The Glynns of Kilrush’, 16 December 2019.

BBC Radio Derry, The Breakfast Show, 17 June 2019: ‘Rescuing an Old IRA archive in Kilrush, Co. Clare. 

RTÉ Radio 1, The History Show, ‘The Discovery of the Joseph Barrett Archive’, 24 February 2019.

BBC Radio Ulster, Voices of World War One, ‘Places in the UK and Ireland that tell a story of World War One’, 18 November 2015.

Website

RTÉ News, ‘Valuable archive from 1700s found in Limerick attic’, 20 February 2023.

Ruptly News Agency, Berlin, ‘Century old archive gives rare insight into workings of IRA’, 24 June 2019.

Irish Central, New York City, ‘Thousands of historical IRA documents discovered in Co. Clare house’, 18 June 2019.

BBC News, ‘Joe Barrett's 100-year-old IRA archive found in attic’, 15 June 2019.

Genealogy News, Dublin, ‘Hoard of IRA papers, photos & maps discovered in attic’, 18 June 2019.

BBC Radio, 'Kilrush, Co. Clare: Mill-Owner becomes Recruiting Agent', 18 November 2015.

Funded Research

2016. Research Fellowship at the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris. Project title: ‘Servants of the church, beneficiaries of a bishop’: The administration of the Walsh Fondation at the Irish College, Paris, c.1825-1922.

Postgraduate Supervision

Emer Shanahan (2025 to date)

Title: 'Shining a Light on the Dark Ages: Moving Away from the Christocentric Approach to Teaching European History in Primary Schools to include the Islamic Perspective'.

Co-supervisor with Dr AnneMarie Brosnan

Boards and Committees

Europa Nostra, Council Member for Ireland 
An Taisce, Member of Council
Thomond Archaeological and Historical Society
Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival
Alliance Française de Limerick

Irish History Students' Association

Kilrush and District Historical Society