‘I’m a Soldier of the Republic’: The Beatles and Ireland by Dr Richard Mills

Summary: Irish literature, music and politics have had a deep and lasting influence on the Beatles and their solo work. Consider, for example, their political pop songs such as John Lennon’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, Wilfred Bramwell’s role as Paul’s Irish grandfather in A Hard Day’s Night and Paul Muldoon’s collaboration with Paul McCartney for the recently published The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present. This lecture will explore the extent to which Irish writers such as Kevin Barry have been influenced by the Beatles. Using Beatles album covers, film clips, musical extracts and Irish literary references Dr Mills will ask: are the Beatles Ireland’s greatest band?

Biography: Dr Richard Mills is a Senior Lecturer in Literature and Popular Culture at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. He has been programme director for the Film and Popular Culture, Cultural Studies and Irish Studies degrees. He has published extensively on popular music, Irish literature and culture, film, fashion and British television. His most recent publication is The Beatles and Fandom: Sex, Death and Progressive Nostalgia (Bloomsbury, 2019). Richard is a regular contributor to BBC4’s Last Word, Sky News, RTE and BBC Live.