Irish Popular Culture from the 1990s to Today: A Green Wave Taking the World by Storm

International Conference (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France)
Thursday 4th and Friday 5th February 2027
Co-organised by Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (CIRLEP), Université Sorbonne Nouvelle (CREW) and Université de Tours (ICD)

Confirmed key-note speakers: Dr. Maria Parsons (IADT, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland), and Dr. Timothy Heron (U. Strasbourg, France)

Organising committee: Catherine Girodet (University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne), Sylvie Mikowski (U. Reims Champagne-Ardenne), Erick Falc’her-Poyroux (U. Tours), Fabrice Mourlon (U. Sorbonne Nouvelle)

Deadline for paper proposals : 15th October 2026
Paper proposals (in English or French), no longer than 350 words, along with a 100 word biography should be sent to [email protected] and [email protected], by October 15, 2026.

Following the success of the first “Ireland and Popular Culture” conference organised by Reims University’s Research Centre CIRLEP in 2012, we felt it was time to convene a follow-up symposium, in order to probe the substantial developments that have been taking place in Irish popular culture over the last few decades.
Indeed, many commentators have highlighted the outstanding resonance of contemporary Irish popular culture on the global stage, which is especially striking for such a small country as Ireland (notwithstanding its worldwide diaspora).

In 2023, the LA times aptly put forward the term “Green Wave” to describe the Academy Awards which saw Martin McDonagh’s film The Banshees of Inisherin nominated fourteen times. Elsewhere, The New York Times speaks of a “thirst for the Irish”, and New York magazine has coined the nickname “Craic Pack” in reference to a group of prominent Irish actors dominating the screen, ranging from Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Oppenheimer), to Colin Farrell (In Bruges, The Lobster), Andrew Scott (Ripley, All of Us Strangers…), Paul Mescal (Normal People, Hamnet…), Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton), Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer), or Jessie Buckley (Hamnet),etc.

As well as TV series, films, and literature, the Irish “Green Wave” has rippled into popular music, with a flurry of innovative and award-winning musical acts such as Fontaines D.C., CMAT, Kneecap, Just Mustard, Chalk, Newdad which have become global successes. What is especially significant about this musical renaissance of sorts is that it has steered Irish popular music away from conventional Irish rock and punk soundscapes to more
experimental aesthetic-mingling music spanning post-punk, shoegaze, hip hop, punk, industrial music and dreampop, not to mention Irish trad punk (e.g., the Mary Wallopers). Much as Irish traditional music and literature which have long enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim, the contemporary Irish music scene has become a vibrant force to be reckoned with.
Such a momentous popular culture rebirth is bound to disrupt and redefine Irish identity and culture at large.

Historically, Ireland has long been perceived as a conservative, backward country, steeped in religious fervour and sectarian divisions (notably in the North). Irish culture was widely associated with romantic mythology, antiquated folklore and superstitious beliefs. However, since the Irish economy turned from a limping, stagnant condition, which caused mass unemployment and mass emigration, to one of the most dynamic ones in Europe, that image has become outdated. Even though Ireland was very badly hit by the 2008 economic crisis, the rebound has been spectacular: Irish household wealth has more than doubled over the past decade, the Irish GDP per capita ranking third after Luxembourg and Singapore. The economy is mostly fuelled by a highly developed knowledge economy, focused on services in high-tech, life sciences, financial services and agribusiness. The success of the Irish economy is reflected in the rising vibrancy and fame of its culture on the international stage, which is no longer limited to literature or traditional music, but embraces diverse forms of popular culture, such as film, TV series, fashion, rock and rap music, etc.

What’s more, Irish popular culture paradoxically combines global appeal with home-grown authenticity and local, regional identity. This is nowhere more apparent than in the amazing craze for the Irish language, evidenced for instance by the success of Colm Bairéad’s An Cailín Ciúin , the first film in Irish ever to be nominated for an Academy award. The craze has also been boosted by the Belfast band Kneecap who astonishingly raps in Irish about working-class lifestyle, drugs, sex but also politics. The appeal of Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin derives from his cunning play with Irish stereotypes; the film, located in a remote part of the country, presents an absurdist version of community and rurality, which both displays and derides the notions. The success of such a series as Derry Girls likewise navigates the divide between the local and the global in popular culture, compelling international viewers to learn about the age-old Protestant versus Catholic feud in a small province at the edge of Europe, in a time and age when so many people know very little about religion. Kneecap, The Banshees… or Derry Girls also interrogate the way humour, comedy, satire and burlesque can be applied to serious topics such as colonialism, conflict, or simply human relationships.

The purpose of this two-day conference is to probe the current Irish “Green Wave” unfurling in popular culture across media from the nineties to today, spanning TV series, literature, films, contemporary popular music, online trends, and lifestyle practices. In particular, this conference aims to stake out the many ways whereby contemporary Irish popular culture articulates the local and the global, national identity and universal appeal, whilst combining humour, satire, glamour and frivolity with serious social, political, sexual and environmental issues.

Topics for papers may include, but are not limited to:

• Irish TV Series: Bad Sisters, Bogland, Young Offenders, Derry Girls, Normal People, Bodkin, Dublin Murders…
• The economy of popular culture in Ireland: studios, producers, TV channels, podcasts, magazines, etc.
• The Filming industry: Northern Ireland as a filming location and a cultural locale
• Irish Celebrities: Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Andrew Scott, Nicola Coughlan, Barry Keoghan and Jessie Buckley etc..
• Contemporary Irish popular music (Rock/Pop/Rap/Folk music, etc.): CMAT, Ye Vagabonds, Kneecap, Lankum, Fontaines D.C., Chalk, Just Mustard, Newdad…
• Irish Popular romance: Marian Keyes, Cecelia Ahern, Maeve Binchy, Maggie O’Farrell…
• Sports
• Fashion and lifestyle
• Pop culture and Irish identity
• Pop culture and activism
• Pop culture and spirituality
• Irish fetishisation? “Ireland appears as a contrast to the lethal capitalisms of ‘broken Britain’ and Trump’s America.” (Diane Negra, Professor of film studies and screen culture, University College Dublin)