University of Limerick holds Morrissey Symposium

The Smiths mainman first made it onto the UL syllabus last year when Department of Sociology Head Dr. Eoin Devereux gave a talk on how the Manchester group were influenced by their immigrant Irish and Catholic backgrounds.

The hugely successful event attracted over 250 people, and the college is expecting just as much interest in this new two-day Morrissey Symposium, The Songs That Saved Your Life (Again).

The symposium will takes place at the university on April 24 and 25, and will celebrate Morrissey's 20 year career as a solo artist, and will feature 20 Irish and international speakers presenting papers on the singer, discussing his iconic status among immigrant Latinos in LA, his place in Italian popular culture, and much more. There will also be an evening gig in Dolan's with music from Smiths tribute act These Charming Men.

Dr. Eoin Devereux, who has helped to organise the event, said the event has much to offer Morrissey fans: “UL’s Morrissey Symposium will present the European premiere of Kerri Koch’s (2008) fascinating documentary on Morrissey’s Latino fans called Passions Just Like Mine. There will also be a panel discussion on the significance of Morrissey as a cultural icon which will include Len Brown, author of the recent best-selling book Meetings with Morrissey.”

For a full list of speakers and events, see target="_">http://www.ul.ie/sociology and http://www.ul.ie/~iwm.

And for Morrissey fans who want to travel to the event, The Songs That Saved Your Life (Again) is timed to coincide with his upcoming Irish tour.

Early booking is advised, email [email protected] for registration and any queries.