Professor from Sorbonne University to deliver keynote address during Democracy Week 2024
Monday 26 February 2024
Irish Studies academic Professor Wesley Hutchinson - who was born in Harryville in Ballymena and is Professor Emeritus at the prestigious Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris - is the keynote speaker at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Democracy Week keynote address in March.
Democracy Week takes place annually and encourages people to celebrate democracy. This year the topic of ‘What have the Ulster Scots ever done for democracy?’ will be very much to the fore when Professor Wesley Hutchinson addresses the event taking place in Carrick Town Hall on 5 March at 7.30pm.
Professor Hutchinson’s talk is entitled ‘The Ulster-Scots literary tradition: Underpinning democracy in the community’.
Professor Hutchinson was educated at Ballymena Academy before embarking on a distinguished academic career. His impressive academic portfolio includes being Professor (Irish Studies) at the School of English, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle; Professor (Irish Studies) at the School of English, Université Paris and Director of the Irish Studies Research Group at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. He obtained his PhD from Trinity College in 1984.
He is a leading academic in the field of Ulster Scots and author of ‘Tracing the Ulster Scots Imagination (2018)’. Recent work has included collaboration on a ‘Women Sharing History’ documentary film involving the Carson Project in Ballymena.
Anyone interested in attending the talk in Carrick Town Hall on 5 March 2024 at 7.30pm is welcome. Spaces are limited - please book your seat by contacting Members.Services@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.