Nocturnes de l’Histoire
Guerres mondiales : le vrai prix

Winner of the ‘Irish Times Best Book of the Year 2024’ for The Hidden Victims, historian Cormac Ó Gráda offers his perspective on the two World Wars and the ways in which their impacts continue to shape our times, in Europe and across the world. He will also address the differing Irish experiences - the Republic of Ireland was neutral during the Second World War, while Northern Ireland underwent Luftwaffe bombings. The heavy toll of these two conflicts reveals the true nature and the cost of modern warfare.

At the end of the conference, a visit of the Old Library will be offered, allowing participants to discover a selection of historical archives related to the two World Wars.

“A work of great moral as well as historical importance. One of Ireland’s greatest historians scrupulously sifts the evidence from the First and Second World Wars (…) The resonances for the present are profound: this book is a potent warning against amnesia and evasion.” (Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times)


Cormac Ó Gráda is a historian and Honorary Professor at University College Dublin.

Moderated by Fabrice Bensimon, lecturer and researcher at Sorbonne University.