Research Profile

Biography

I completed my BA in Drama & Theatre Studies (with French) at Trinity College Dublin, and followed this with an MA in Film Studies in University College Dublin. This led me back to Trinity where I combined my research areas of theatre and film with a PhD project that concentrated on the relationship between the Abbey Theatre and cinema from the beginning of the sound period until the 1960s. More recently my focus has been on contemporary Irish film and filmmakers, which I approach from historical, aesthetic and theoretical angles. In my monographs The Films of Lenny Abrahamson: A Filmmaking of Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2018) and Hands on Film: Actants, Aesthetics, Affects (Amsterdam University Press, 2022), I have aimed to integrate innovative ways of thinking about film conceptually and stylistically, with a pedagogical sensitivity to the inquisitive reader. In a way that mirrors my research-influenced teaching, in all of my publications I hope to have provided lucid explanations of even the more abstruse theoretical frameworks, so that a casual, or lay reader, or one who prefers to dip in and out of different sections will find the work enlightening and satisfying.

I frequently contribute to regional, national and international cinema-related cultural events that have included public interviews with filmmakers, writers and performers, themed seminars, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions in a variety of institutions. These include (or have included) the Schull Fastnet International Film Festival, the Cork International Film Festival, the Cork Indie Film Festival, the Irish Film Institute, the Queen's Film Theatre (Belfast) the Rome Ireland Film Festival, and the Puerto Vallarta International Film Festival in Mexico.

Recently I worked with Crónán Ó Doibhlin (Interim University Librarian/Head of Collections) on the acquisition for University College Cork of the Richard Harris Archive. Following several years of negotiations with members of the Harris family, it was agreed that the precious personal collection of artefacts, writing, photographs and memorabilia owned and gathered by the celebrated Irish artist will be housed in the Boole Library. This wonderful cache of materials will provide a fascinating resource for researchers and enthusiasts interested in exploring the life and legacy of the internationally renowned writer and performer. 

I am currently supervising five full-time doctoral students 
 including one Irish Research Council Award recipient, and one College Excellence Scholar  one of whom is co-supervised with Dr Daragh O'Connell (Head of Department of Italian).

I would be happy to discuss supervision of any Doctoral or Postdoctoral projects in areas relating to my research including, but not restricted to: Irish cinema (history/contemporary); Irish filmmakers and production personnel; national and international cinemas; philosophy and film; Ireland's theatre or literature on screen; film and theory/film theory; performance analysis; national or international film censorship; documentary film; amateur filmmaking; film ecocriticism; and independent cinema
 

Research Interests

Since the completion of my PhD research into a specific period in the history of Irish cinema (1930-1960), and specifically into the relationship between Irish theatre and film, I have continued to expand and explore thematic strands from this field – around aesthetics, theoretical and textual analysis – into the contemporary context. My areas of interest range widely across approaches to post-1990s Irish visual culture (informed by a variety of paradigms from gender, genre, and star studies, to poststructural, postnational, and postmodern frameworks), and I am interested in various aesthetic features of visual media including performance studies and technical developments. Most of my published work is motivated by a pedagogical desire to explore the intersections between novel analytical and conceptual considerations of the medium, and reader-friendly applications of theoretical frameworks in ways that inform each strand (presenting what film might reveal about theory, and how cinematic "texts" might test philosophical concepts, as much as the opposite).  

Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
Capturing the NationIrish Research Council03-NOV-0830-SEP-10€100,000.00
Hyphenating Ireland and America - examining the construction of contemporary Hybrid Identities in FILM AND sCREEN mEDIA 1990-2015.Irish Research Council01-OCT-1630-SEP-18€47,822.00
Institutional Acts of Watching in Irish Cinema: Surveillance, Power and the Camera.Irish Research Council01-OCT-2030-SEP-23€81,625.00

Publications

Books

 YearPublication
(2022)Hands on Film: Actants, Aesthetics, Affects.
Barry Monhaan (2022) Hands on Film: Actants, Aesthetics, Affects. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. [Details]
(2018)The Films of Lenny Abrahamson: A Filmmaking of Philosophy.
Barry Monahan (2018) The Films of Lenny Abrahamson: A Filmmaking of Philosophy. New York & London: Bloomsbury Academic. [Details]
(2009)Ireland's Theatre on Film: Style, Stars and the National Stage on Screen.
Barry Monahan (2009) Ireland's Theatre on Film: Style, Stars and the National Stage on Screen. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.   [Details]

Performances

 YearPublication
(2023)Souls and Shadows: Reminiscences on Ireland's Revolution.
Barry Monahan and Ciara Chambers (2023) Souls and Shadows: Reminiscences on Ireland's Revolution. Triskel Arts Centre: Performances   [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2020)'Historical Transitions in Ireland on Screen'
Barry Monahan (2020) 'Historical Transitions in Ireland on Screen' In: Irish Literature in Transition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2014)'Introduction. Amateur Filmmaking: New Developments and Directions’'
Rascaroli, Laura, Gwenda Young, Barry Monahan (2014) 'Introduction. Amateur Filmmaking: New Developments and Directions’' In: Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web. New York and London: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2018)'Kant's Sublime and the Disaster Film After 9/11'
Barry Monahan (2018) 'Kant's Sublime and the Disaster Film After 9/11' In: Rethinking Genre in Contemporary Global Cinema. London: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]
(2015)'Irish Cinema in Italy: the Roma Irish Film Festa'
Barry Monahan & Ciara Chambers (2015) 'Irish Cinema in Italy: the Roma Irish Film Festa' In: Ireland and Cinema: Culture and Contexts. London: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]
(2015)'Introduction'
Barry Monahan (2015) 'Introduction' In: Ireland and Cinema: Culture and Contexts. London: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]
(2014)'The Home Movie and Space of Communication'
Odin, Roger (translation Barry Monahan) (2014) 'The Home Movie and Space of Communication' In: Rascaroli, Laura, Gwenda Young, Barry Monahan (eds). Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web. New York, London, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2014)'Pure Male: Masculine Spaces and Stasis in Eugene O’Brien’s Pure Mule'
Monahan, Barry (2014) 'Pure Male: Masculine Spaces and Stasis in Eugene O’Brien’s Pure Mule' In: Holohan, Conn and Tony Tracy (eds). Masculinity and Irish Popular Culture: Tiger's Tales. London, New York: Palgrave, Macmillan. [Details]
(2014)'Introduction'
Barry Monahan (with Laura Rascaroli & Gwenda Young) (2014) 'Introduction' In: Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web. New York, London, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2014)'Creating Historiography: Alan Gilsenan’s Formal Reframing of Amateur Archival Footage in Home Movie Nights'
Monahan, Barry (2014) 'Creating Historiography: Alan Gilsenan’s Formal Reframing of Amateur Archival Footage in Home Movie Nights' In: Rascaroli, Laura, Gwenda Young, Barry Monahan (eds). Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web. New York, London, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury. [Details]
(2012)'The phenomenological narrative shift between Lenny Abrahamson’s Adam and Paul and Garage'
Monahan, Barry (2012) 'The phenomenological narrative shift between Lenny Abrahamson’s Adam and Paul and Garage' In: Bracken, Claire & Radley, Emma (eds). Viewpoints: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts. Cork: Cork University Press. [Details]
(2009)'The Pedagogical Culture of Irish Film Production: A Short History'
Monahan B; (2009) 'The Pedagogical Culture of Irish Film Production: A Short History' In: Cinemas of Ireland. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars.   [Details]
(2008)'Forward'
Barry Monahan (2008) 'Forward' In: Cinema Dall’Irlanda. Rome: Onyx Editizioni. [Details]
(2009)'Narrative Pleasures of the Visualised Nation: The Quiet Man and Disruptive Systems of Viewing'
Monahan B; (2009) 'Narrative Pleasures of the Visualised Nation: The Quiet Man and Disruptive Systems of Viewing' In: The Quiet Man ... and Beyond: Reflections on a Classic Film, John Ford and Ireland. Dublin: The Liffey Press.   [Details]
(2009)'Defining Ourselves Through the Irishness that we Sell: The Comedy of Cultural COmmodification in Mark Joffe's The Matchmaker (1997)'
Monahan B; (2009) 'Defining Ourselves Through the Irishness that we Sell: The Comedy of Cultural COmmodification in Mark Joffe's The Matchmaker (1997)' In: Screening Irish-America: Representing Irish Film and Television. Dublin, Portland, OR: Irish Academic Press.   [Details]
(2007)'Playing Cops and Robbers: Recent Irish Cinema and Generic Parody'
Monahan B; (2007) 'Playing Cops and Robbers: Recent Irish Cinema and Generic Parody' In: Genre and Cinema: Ireland and Transnationalism. New York: Routledge.   [Details]
(2004)'Keeping it imaginary, cultivating the symbollic: a study of national self-perception in recent Irish cinema'
Monahan B; (2004) 'Keeping it imaginary, cultivating the symbollic: a study of national self-perception in recent Irish cinema' In: Keeping It Real. London: Wallflower Press.   [Details]
(2004)'A frayed collaboration: Emmet Dalton and the Abbey Theatre adaptations at Ardmore Studios, 1957-`60'
Barry Monahan; (2004) 'A frayed collaboration: Emmet Dalton and the Abbey Theatre adaptations at Ardmore Studios, 1957-`60' In: National Cinema and Beyond. Dublin: Four Courts Press.   [Details]

Edited Books

 YearPublication
(2015)Ireland and Cinema: Culture and Contexts
Barry Monahan, Laura Rascaroli, Gwenda Young (Ed.). (2015) Ireland and Cinema: Culture and Contexts London: Palgrave Macmillan. [Details]
(2014)Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web
Rascaroli, Laura, Gwenda Young and Barry Monahan (Ed.). (2014) Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web Amateur Filmmaking: The Home Movie, the Archive, the Web. London: Bloomsbury Academic. [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2020)'The Cinematic Informer: An Amateur Production'
Barry Monahan (2020) 'The Cinematic Informer: An Amateur Production'. The New Hibernia Review, 24 (2, Summer, 2020):30-40 [Details]
(2014)'The Concrete Manifestations of Emotional Eternity in Brendan Muldowney’s Love Eternal (2013)'
Monahan, Barry (2014) 'The Concrete Manifestations of Emotional Eternity in Brendan Muldowney’s Love Eternal (2013)'. Estudios Irlandeses, 9 :215-218   [Details]
(2011)'A Masala of Musicals: Short Film Incentives by Bord Scannán Na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board)'
Barry Monahan; (2011) 'A Masala of Musicals: Short Film Incentives by Bord Scannán Na hÉireann (The Irish Film Board)'. Estudios Irlandeses, Volume 6 [Details]
(2010)'Pure Mule, The Last Weekend: the finite televisual narrative'
B Monahan; (2010) 'Pure Mule, The Last Weekend: the finite televisual narrative'. Estudios Irlandeses, Volume 5 [Details]
(2009)'In the Beginning: Ardmore Studios Celebrates 50'
Monahan, B; (2009) 'In the Beginning: Ardmore Studios Celebrates 50'. Estudios Irlandeses, Vol. 4 :153-156   [Details]
(2008)'Lenny Abrahamson's Garage: a drama of cinematic silence'
Monahan, B; (2008) 'Lenny Abrahamson's Garage: a drama of cinematic silence'. Estudios Irlandeses, Vol. 3 :236-238   [Details]
(2007)'Attack of the killer cows! Genre and context in Billy O'Brien's Isolation (2006)'
Monahan, B; (2007) 'Attack of the killer cows! Genre and context in Billy O'Brien's Isolation (2006)'. Estudios Irlandeses, Vol. 2 :264-266   [Details]
(2006)'Adam and Paul: post-modern Irish tragi-comedy'
Monahan, B; (2006) 'Adam and Paul: post-modern Irish tragi-comedy'. Estudios Irlandeses, Vol. 1 :167-169   [Details]

Other Journals

 YearPublication
(2015)'David Lean: Master of Space and Light'
Barry Monahan (2015) 'David Lean: Master of Space and Light' The Irish Examiner, . [Details]
(2014)'A Film Festival of Ideas'
Ciara Chambers and Barry Monahan (2014) 'A Film Festival of Ideas' Film Ireland, .   [Details]
(2009)'Capturing the Nation: Irish Home Movies, 1930-1970'
Rascaroli, Laura, Gwenda Young, Barry Monahan; (2009) 'Capturing the Nation: Irish Home Movies, 1930-1970' Film Ireland, (130) :46-46. [Details]

Guest Speaker

 YearPublication
(2009)Roma Irish Film Festival (Recent Trends in Irish Television) Casa del Cinema, Villa Borghese, Rome.
Monahan, B; (2009) Roma Irish Film Festival (Recent Trends in Irish Television) Casa del Cinema, Villa Borghese, Rome. Guest Speaker [Details]
(2008)The 50th Anniversary of Ardmore Studies - Irish Film Institute, Dublin.
Monahan, B; (2008) The 50th Anniversary of Ardmore Studies - Irish Film Institute, Dublin. Guest Speaker [Details]
(2008)Contemporary Irish Cinema - Film Institute Cineteca de Bologna.
Monahan, B; (2008) Contemporary Irish Cinema - Film Institute Cineteca de Bologna. Guest Speaker [Details]
(2004)The Abbey Theatre on Film: A Centenary Celebration - Irish Film Institute, Dublin.
Monahan, B; (2004) The Abbey Theatre on Film: A Centenary Celebration - Irish Film Institute, Dublin. Guest Speaker [Details]

Invited Lectures

 YearPublication
(2009)Celtic Tiger Ireland (Contexts for Contemporary Cinema) University of Freiburg.
Monahan, B; (2009) Celtic Tiger Ireland (Contexts for Contemporary Cinema) University of Freiburg. Invited Lectures [Details]
(2009)Contemporary Irish Culture (Irish Film: National Accents and International Aesthetics) University of Freiburg.
Monahan, B; (2009) Contemporary Irish Culture (Irish Film: National Accents and International Aesthetics) University of Freiburg. Invited Lectures [Details]

Book Reviews

 YearPublication
(2007)Cinema and Northern Ireland: John Hill.
Monahan B; (2007) Cinema and Northern Ireland: John Hill. New York: Book Reviews   [Details]

Review Articles

 YearPublication
(2009)Review of Gideon Nisbet's Ancient Greece in Film and Popular Culture.
Monahan, B; (2009) Review of Gideon Nisbet's Ancient Greece in Film and Popular Culture. Cork: Review Articles [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2022Project Award -- Vice President of Learning and Teaching Office of VP Learning & Teaching, UCC
2010Frank O'Connor - A Man of Many Voices, Radio Documentary Broadcast Authority of Ireland
2008Capturing the Nation: Irish Home Movies from 1930 - 1970 Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
2002Postgraduate Award Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
2000Fellowship of Arts, University College Dublin University College Dublin

Professional Associations

 AssociationFunctionFrom / To
Arts Council Film Project Review Committee01-JUN-18 /
Department of Education: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Member of Curriculum Development Group (Leaving Certificate Drama, Film & Theatre Studies)01-SEP-22 /
Higher Education and Training Awards Council Member of Programme Review Committee01-MAR-09 /
Cork Screen Commission Member of Committee01-MAY-14 / 30-APR-15
Screen Producers Ireland (Cork Film Forum) Chair of "The Future of Visual Culture in Ireland" Panel01-NOV-09 / 31-JAN-10

Conference Contributions

 YearPublication
(2010)Saving Private Reels. An International Conference on the Presentation, Appropriation and Re-contextualisation of the Amateur Moving Image,
Dr Barry Monahan, Dr Laura Rascaroli, Dr Gwenda Young ; (2010) Conference Organising Committee Member. [Conference Organising Committee Member], Saving Private Reels. An International Conference on the Presentation, Appropriation and Re-contextualisation of the Amateur Moving Image, UCC , 17-SEP-10 - 19-SEP-10. [Details]
(2009)Con(tra)vention: Crime and the Boundaries of Genre,
Marco Amici, Eoin Barrett, Mark Chu, Rachel MagShamhráin, Barry Monahan, Alessia Risis, Gwenda Young, ; (2009) Third Interdisciplinary Conference of the Atlantic Alliance of Universities (NUI Galway, University of Limerick, University College Cork) Crime Genre Research Group. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Con(tra)vention: Crime and the Boundaries of Genre, UCC , 26-JUN-09 - 27-JUN-09. [Details]
(2007)Screening Irish America Conference,
Monahan B; (2007) Defining ourselves through the Irishness that we sell: the comedy of cultural commodification in Mark Joffe's The Matchmaker. [Oral Presentation], Screening Irish America Conference, UCD, Dublin , 01-APR-07 - 01-APR-07. [Details]
(2007)Contemporary Irish Cinema,
Monahan B; (2007) The pedagogical culture of Irish film production: a short history. [Oral Presentation], Contemporary Irish Cinema, Université de Limoges, France , 01-NOV-07 - 01-NOV-07. [Details]
(2005)The Quiet Man Conference,
Monahan B; (2005) The Quiet Man as a document of Irish theatrical performance. [Oral Presentation], The Quiet Man Conference, NUI, Galway , 01-AUG-05 - 01-AUG-05. [Details]
(2005)Genre and Irish Cinema International Conference,
Monahan B; (2005) Playing Cops and Robbers: Recent Irish Cinema and Generic Parody. [Oral Presentation], Genre and Irish Cinema International Conference, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC, Canada , 01-MAR-05 - 01-MAR-05. [Details]
(2003)Irish Cinema Studies Postgraduate Conference,
Monahan B; (2003) The Abbey Theatre and the Irish Film Industry, 1930 - 1960. [Oral Presentation], Irish Cinema Studies Postgraduate Conference, Trinity College, Dublin , 01-APR-03 - 01-APR-03. [Details]
(2002)Screening Identities,
Monahan, B; (2002) Performance and Representation Studies. [Oral Presentation], Screening Identities, University of Wales, Aberystwyth , 25-JAN-02 - 27-JAN-02. [Details]
(2002)Cross Currents A.H.R.B. Irish and Scottish Studies,
Monahan, B; (2002) Conference on Irish Studies. [Oral Presentation], Cross Currents A.H.R.B. Irish and Scottish Studies, University of Aberdeen , 19-APR-02 - 21-APR-02. [Details]
(2002)Keeping it Real Irish Film Studies,
Monahan, B; (2002) International Conference on Irish Film Studies. [Oral Presentation], Keeping it Real Irish Film Studies, University College Dublin , 22-MAR-02 - 24-MAR-02. [Details]

Committees

 CommitteeFunctionFrom / To
University Deans' Group CACSSS Representative (Graduate Studies)2023 /
Academic Council Graduate Studies (Sub-Committee) Member of Committee2022 /
Sponsor Coalition Group (Research Student Administration System) Member of Committee2022 /
CACSSS Research and Innovation Committee Member of Committee2022 /
CACSSS College Executive Management Committee Member of Committee2022 /
CACSSS Teaching and Learning Committee Member of Committee2022 /
Academic Council Graduate Studies Committee Member of Committee2022 /
CACSSS Graduate Studies Committee Chair (as Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, CACSSS)2022 /
University Examinations Appeals Committee Member of Committee2021 /
University Academic Developments & Standards Committee CACSSS ADC Representative2019 /
CACSSS College Academic Developments Committee Chair2018 / 2021
Department of Film & Screen Media Teaching and Learning Officer Head of Group2014 / 2021
CACSSS College Academic Developments Committee Member of Committee2010 / 2018
Cork University Press: Editorial Sub-Committee Member2009 / 2018

Employment

 EmployerPositionFrom / To
Trinity College Dublin Lecturer (Film Studies)01-SEP-05 / 01-DEC-06
Griffith College of Higher Education Lecturer (Film and Media Studies)01-SEP-05 / 31-AUG-07
Dublin Institute of Technology Lecturer in Film Studies01-SEP-00 / 31-AUG-05
National College of Art & Design Lecturer (Film Studies)01-SEP-02 / 31-AUG-06
UCD Lecturer (Film Studies)01-SEP-04 / 01-AUG-05
UCD Lecturer (Film Studies)01-SEP-00 / 01-AUG-02

Education

 YearInstitutionQualificationSubject
1996Trinity College Dublin BA (Hons)Unknown
1999UCD MAUnknown
2004Trinity College Dublin PHDUnknown

Languages

 LanguageReadingWritingSpeaking
French FluentFunctionalFunctional

Outreach Activities

 Description

IRISH FILM INSTITUTE -- Guest Speaker at a Panel Discussion

ROMA IRELAND FILM FESTIVAL -- Regular guest at the festival contributing to public discussions and interviews, giving presentations and seminars, and introducing the work of Irish filmmakers (2010 to present).

CORK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL -- Member of Short Films Selection Panel (since 2015)

CORK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL -- Special Jury Member for "Best International Documentary Film" (2022)

IRISH FILM INSTITUTE -- Regular guest speaker, panelist, round table contributor at special events and public screenings.

FILM INSTITUTE CINETECA DE BOLOGNA -- Guest speaker and round-table contributor to public discussion on the state of contemporary Irish cinema (October 2008).

SCHULL FASTNET FILM FESTIVAL -- Contributor to various public events, discussions, interviews and screenings.

CORK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Education Office) -- Public seminars and lectures to Secondary School groups.

IRISH FILM INSTITUTE -- Public Address "The Abbey Theatre and the Ardmore Studios Project."

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
Alphaville: Journal Of Film And Screen Media Member of Advisory Board01-SEP-12 -

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

Recent Postgraduates

 Graduation YearStudent NameInstitutionDegree TypeThesis Title
2023Nicholas O'Riordan University College CorkDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHYAccents in Contemporary Irish Film
2019Loretta Goff NUI (UCC)DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHYHyphenating the Nation

Current Postgraduate Students

 StudentDegree Type
Dennehy Tadhg Doctoral Degree
Rath Oliver Maurice Doctoral Degree
Gough Rachel Monica Doctoral Degree
Costello Sandra Marie Doctoral Degree

Modules Taught

 Term (ID))TitleLinkSubject
2010Critical Skills Seminar I EN2006Critical Skills Seminar I
2010Contemporary Literature and Culture EN3076Contemporary Literature and Culture
2010European Cinema EN3037European Cinema
2010Special Studies Seminar II EN3007Special Studies Seminar II
2010First English EN1001First English

Contact details

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English Department

Roinn an Bhéarla

O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork, Cork. Ireland

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