Recorded December 4, 2019.

A public lecture Fintan O’Toole to mark being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Trinity College Dublin

About Fintan O’Toole (Litt.D.)

Fintan O’ Toole is a columnist with the Irish Times, visiting lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton University and former drama critic and literary adviser to the Abbey Theatre. He is internationally respected as a drama critic, a political and cultural commentator and public intellectual. Among his books, his Tom Murphy: the Politics of Magic (1987 and 1994) remains the most authoritative study of the subject. His most recent book is Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain. A striking feature of his work is the range of his interests and informed contributions. Whether reacting to the death of Seamus Heaney, or to the British vote to leave the European Union, O’Toole has succeeded in voicing an immediate reaction that is thoughtful, intelligent and penetratingly expressed. He has been fearless in exposing weaknesses and corruption in society, and has proved a shrewd commentator on international affairs. He has received numerous awards, including the 2017 Orwell Prize for his political writing in the Irish Times, the Guardian and the Observer, and was awarded the 2017 European Press Prize as Commentator of the Year.

Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/