We Shall Overcome: Revolutionary Connections

Recorded May 5th, 2026. Part of We Shall Overcome: Civil Rights Struggles in Northern Ireland and the United States, a one day conference organised by the School of Histories and Humanities. During the 1960s, the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland borrowed tactics, the anthem 'We Shall Overcome,' and even its very name for the African American movement for equality. This symposium examines how this connection was formed and what it meant. It will consider both the origins of such connections and their legacy for the present. Sponsored by the Trinity Long Room Hub, UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Galway 11:00-12:15 Revolutionary Connections Chair: Niall Ó Dochartaigh (Galway) Cathy Bergin (DkIT) '"The greatest Epic of Modern History”: The Irish revolution in the African American radical press.' Brian Hanley (TCD), 'The last white nation in slavery?': Irish republicans and race in the revolutionary era.' Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub