School of History, Classics & Archaeology

The Townshend moment: thoughts on reform in an age of revolution

Professor Patrick Griffin joins us to present his thoughts on reform in an age of revolution.

Professor Patrick Griffin from the University of Notre Dame joins us to present his thoughts on reform in an age of revolution.

Professor Griffin will discuss the imperial reforms initiated by British brothers George and Charles Townshend.

Event details Thursday 26 March 2015, 5.30pm Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square

Register to attend

This event is free but ticketed. Please register to attend on our event booking system

About Professor Griffin

Professor Griffin is the Madden-Hennebry Professor at the University of Notre Dame where he is Chair of the History Department.

His work explores the intersection of colonial American and early modern Irish and British history. As such, it focuses on Atlantic-wide themes and dynamics. He has published work on the movement of peoples and cultures across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the process of adaptation.

Ireland, Britain and America

He also examines the ways in which Ireland, Britain, and America were linked—and differed—during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He has looked at revolution and rebellion, movement and migration, and colonization and violence in each society in comparative perspective.

Notable publications

Among his notable publications are America's Revolution (2012), American Leviathan: Empire, Nation and Revolutionary Frontier (2007) and The People with No Name: Ireland's Ulster Scots, America's Scots Irish, and the Creation of a British Atlantic World (2001).

Current research

Professor Griffin is currently writing a study of George and Charles Townshend, British brothers who initiated imperial reforms on the eve of the American Revolution and in the years before Irish parliamentary independence.