On Saturday 8th June I will be speaking at the National Famine Museum in Strokestown. Honouring Indigenous Aid & Sharing Lands pays tribute to the Indigenous Peoples such as the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee First Nations in Canada West (Ontario) and Choctaw and Cherokee Nations in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) that contributed to Irish Famine relief in 1847 when they faced considerable hardship, broken treaty relations, and forced relocation.

The purpose of this event is to express gratitude to these Native Americans and First Nations in Canada for their generosity during the Great Hunger. Her Excellency Nancy Smyth (the Ambassador of Canada to Ireland), Professor Mark McGowan (University of St Michael’s College in the University of Toronto), Professor LeAnne Howe (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, University of Georgia), Dr Padraig Kirwan (Goldsmiths, University of London), Professor Gillian O’Brien (Liverpool John Moore’s University), explore the bonds of friendship and legacies created by these remarkable gifts, as well as Indigenous responses to colonization and territorial dispossession.

This event is supported by the Government of Ireland Emigrant Support Programme and the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).