Allihies Autumn School 2026: Who Belongs? — Migrations, Identity and the Politics of Place. takes place from 9th to 11th October 2026 at Allihies Copper Mine Museum. This year’s theme explores migration, identity, and the politics of place, bringing together researchers, historians, artists, and community voices to ask who gets to call a place home.
As the world shifts, questions of belonging gain new urgency. Migration reshapes societies, merges cultures, and redefines identities, while politics shapes the policies and community life around it. Expect no tidy resolutions — belonging isn’t a fixed status, but a contest, and this is where that contest gets named out loud.
Speakers
- Teresa Buczkowska — CEO of the Immigrant Council of Ireland, writer and media commentator on migration, democracy, and women’s rights
- Dr Andrea Ciribuco — Migration in rural areas: challenges and opportunities. Lecturer, University of Galway
- Prof. Flora Cornish — Comings and goings: Reflecting on our own family migrations. Professor at the London School of Economics, born on the Beara Peninsula
- Aubrey Edwards — An American Wake: Filleadh. Multidisciplinary artist, cultural anthropologist and historical archaeologist
- Kathleen Fitzsimmons — Educator and public historian, co-founder of the Leadville History Hub, Colorado
- Luke Finken — Irish Miners’ Memorial in Leadville’s historic Evergreen Cemetery. Educator, Lake County Public Schools, Colorado
- Prof. Mary Gilmartin — Making sense of migration. Professor of Geography, Maynooth University
- Aubrey Jaap — Director of the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, Montana
- Lindsay Mulcahy — Assistant Director, Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, vice-chair of Butte Historical Memorials
- Zak Moradi — Kurdish-Irish hurler for Leitrim, born in Ramadi, Iraq
- Local Voices — Local voices: Pat Holland, Clogheen, Garnish; Donal Kelly Lehanmore Garnish Beara; Michael Miney O Sullivan, Cahermore, Beara.
Event details
Dates: 9th–11th October 2026
Venue: Allihies Copper Mine Museum, Allihies, Beara, Co. Cork, P75 Y329
Tickets: €199 for 3 days — includes all sessions, lunches, tea/coffee, and Saturday night entertainment: Scullion’s Concert
Supported by Bantry Credit Union.
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