James McConnel, visiting scholar from Northern Ireland, will speak on “The History of Northern Ireland Conflict Through Political Murals” at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10. The talk will be in the Alumni Room, Administration Building, Indiana University South Bend.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Between 1969 and 2001, more than 3,500 people were killed as a result of violence in Northern Ireland. McConnel will speak about the history of the conflict and explore the past as represented in the thousands of political murals that covered the walls in urban centers such as Derry and Belfast.

The murals are often dynamic, interactive and represent changing trends and developments. They often throw a unique light onto popular and paramilitary perceptions of the conflict.

McConnel is a native of Australia and was raised in Germany, England and Canada. He was educated at the University of Sheffield and the University of Durham, both in England. He completed his doctorate in 2002 and was appointed to a permanent lecturing position at the University of Ulster in 2005.

He recently developed an interest in militant Protestantism and the history of the Orange Order. He has published in various British and Irish journals, organized his first international conference this past summer and is preparing for his thesis publication in 2008.