First Thought

Does Culture Drive Human Evolution? Gaia Vince thinks it does. She claims that four evolutionary drivers – Fire, Language, Beauty and Time – are further transforming our species into a superorganism, a hyper–cooperative mass of humanity that she calls Homo omnis, or ’Homni’.

Drawing on cutting–edge advances in population genetics, archaeology, palaeontology and neuroscience, her book Transcendence compels us to reimagine ourselves, showing us to be on the brink of something grander – and potentially more destructive.

In this fascinating episode, recorded in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition, we hear from Gaia Vince and Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council of Ireland.

The COVID–19 pandemic has exposed deep fractures in many countries in how we organise our societies, in our capacity to care for our most vulnerable citizens and in the systems that govern our lives.

Some of us hope for change in these systems when we finally escape COVID’s clutches. Will the dreadful death toll, the economic devastation and the obvious deficiencies in our public services encourage or force us to explore other options? How will Ireland react to the potential lessons to be learned from what we have been through?

In this episode of First Thought, Fintan O’Toole, who has written for a long time about fractured structures and potential change, is joined in conversation with Catriona Crowe, Curator of First Thought Talks.

This episode was recorded in September 2020 as part of Galway Internatioinal Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. 

Our nearest neighbour seems to be in an ongoing state of division and uncertainty for the last number of years, a situation which has been further exacerbated by the COVID–19 pandemic. With the arrival of Brexit, where to next for an increasingly disunited kingdom?

John Lanchester, novelist and journalist, known for explaining the 2007 financial crisis to us all and Fintan O’Toole, one of Ireland’s best–known journalists, known for explaining Brexit and its roots to us all, are joined in conversation by Martina Fitzgerald, author of Madame Politician, a study of Irish female politicians.

This First Thought Talk was recorded in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. First Thought Talks are presented in association with Festival Education Partner NUI Galway. 

What happened in Ireland during the Spanish Flu pandemic just over 100 years ago? Who died, how, and what did the authorities do to manage the disease? Did we learn from that experience? Will we learn from this one?

Dr. Ida Milne, historian and author of Stacking the Coffins: Influenza, War and Revolution in Ireland, and Fergal Bowers, RTÉ Health Correspondent, are joined in conversation with Dr. Caitriona Clear of NUI Galway, a pioneering social historian of ordinary Irish people.

This First Thought Talk was recorded in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. First Thought Talks are presented in association with Festival Education Partner NUI Galway. 

Ireland’s participation in the soccer World Cup in Italy in 1990, 30 years ago, was a defining time for the country, leading to community bonding, national pride and general elation.

Jack Charlton, alas no longer with us, became an object of national veneration for getting us so far in the competition before Italy put a stop to our gallop. The Irish fans distinguished themselves as fans and revellers; even when we lost, we won.

Colm Tóibín and Eamon Dunphy were there as journalists, and they had an interesting time!

In this episode, Colm and Eamon are interviewed via video by Mark Duncan, Director of Century Ireland and co–curator of the forthcoming exhibition on Italia 90 at the Little Museum of Dublin. 

This First Thought Talk was presented in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's once-off Autumn Edition. 

The grotesque murder of George Floyd, filmed by a brave 17–year–old girl, shocked the world into a fresh realisation of racism and its consequences in the United States. We also need to look nearer to home and to articulate and hear what people of colour have experienced here in Ireland.

In this episode, Tobi Lawal, Felicia Olusanya and Amanda Adewole discuss how they have experienced racism in Ireland. The panel is joined in conversation by Róisín Ingle, Irish Times journalist and founder and producer of the brilliant Women’s Podcast.

Find out more about Doras and MASI by visiting doras.org and masi.ie. 

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. Find out more: https://www.giaf.ie/festival/event/black-lives-matter-experiences-of-racism-in-ireland

The majority in Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU but has failed to insist on a course which is, arguably, very much in its best interests. What are the divisions within Northern society that have led to the current situation, and how will Brexit play out for the different communities there?

In this episode, we'll hear from Glenn Paterson, novelist and author of Backstop Land and Claire Hanna, SDLP MP for Belfast South. Dave O’Connell, Editor of the Connacht Tribune, moderates the discussion. Claire Hanna participated in the event via video. 

This First Thought Talk took place in front of a live audience in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. See more: https://www.giaf.ie/festival/event/brexit-and-the-north

How has Ireland managed the novel coronavirus COVID–19? Were we ready for it? Did the government make the right choices? What isthe science now on the virus?

In this episode, hear from Luke O’Neill, Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, Dr. Catherine Motherway, intensive care specialist at University Hospital, Limerick, Paul Moynagh, Professor of Biology at Maynooth University, and Dr. Mary Favier, President of the Irish College of General Practitioners, in conversation with David McCullagh, historian and RTÉ presenter.

This talk was recorded in front of a live audience in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. More: https://www.giaf.ie/festival/event/pandemic-reflections-2-covid-19

100 years ago this 21 November, over 30 people were killed in three separate events: the assassination of British intelligence agents by Michael Collins’ Squad in the morning, the shooting in reprisal of civilians at a match in Croke Park in the afternoon, and the torture and killing of Dick McKee, Peadar Clancy and Conor Clune at Dublin Castle that night.

History is turning its gaze on violence and its effects during this turbulent period. In this episode, two eminent historians enlighten us about new perspectives on what happened that day. Paul Rouse, Professor at the School of History at University College Dublin and Anne Dolan, Associate Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin are joined in conversation with Diarmaid Ferriter, Professor of Modern Irish History at University College Dublin.

This talk was recorded in front of a live audience in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. More: https://www.giaf.ie/festival/event/bloody-sunday-1920

How do we think about the domestic situation in the United States, and America’s role in the world, as the November 2020 presidential election approaches?

Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize–winning author, Harvard professor, and US Ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama from 2013-2017, will discuss the current state of America and her recent fascinating memoir, The Education of an Idealist, with Áine Lawlor, broadcaster and journalist.

Samantha Power and Áine Lawlor participated in this event via video.

This talk was recorded in front of a live audience in September 2020 as part of Galway International Arts Festival's Autumn Edition. More: https://www.giaf.ie/festival/event/the-state-of-the-us