Please join the Keough-Naughton Institute for a talk by Gareth Prendergast, colonel and head of Strategic Force Design in the Irish Defence Forces, on his new book Clear - Hold - Build: How the Free State Won the Irish Civil War (Eastwood Publications, 2025). Copies of the book will be available for purchase after the reading. About Clear - Hold - BuildResearching a civil war is always fraught with danger. While writing a historical textbook 50 years after the end of hostilities, F.S.L. Lyons referred to the Irish Civil War as “burned so deep into the heart and mind of Ireland that it is not yet possible for the historian to approach it with the detailed knowledge or the objectivity which it deserves." Pushing to one side the ideological differences still prevalent in Ireland, Clear - Hold - Build: How the Free State Won the Irish Civil War by Gareth Prendergast, now explains the construct behind the Free State Strategy during the Irish Civil War. As a serving officer in the Irish Defence Forces and a former graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, Prendergast utilises his academic and military experience to offer a unique perspective of this contentious period in Irish history. In this newly published book, Prendergast analyses the Clearance and Hold operations conducted by the Leadership of the National Army in order to face down a violent insurgency primarily based in the ‘Munster Republic.’ He credits the Build or Rebuild operations conducted by the Free State as the main contributory reason why the National Army ultimately won the civil war. Even the words ‘won the civil war’ are contentious to this day. Using the lens of modern counterinsurgency doctrine to connect tactical actions to strategic success, Prendergast presents readers with a nuanced examination of the conflict and invites them to draw their own conclusions. You can listen to Gareth Prendergast discuss Clear - Hold - Build on the Irish History Show Podcast here. About Gareth Prendergast Gareth Prendergast is a serving colonel in the Irish Defence Forces with over 30 years of service. He has seven operational tours of duty overseas including the Middle East, Balkans and Mali. At home he has served in infantry battalions on the Irish border during the ‘Troubles’, in Kilkenny and Dublin. He has also served in the Military College and Defence Force Headquarter on numerous occasions, including appointments in the Command and Staff School, OIC Military Finance Branch, and Director of Logistics. He is currently serving as Head of Strategic Force Design. Prendergast has a Masters of Military Art and Science from his year spent on the US Army Command and General Staff Course in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and he recently achieved his doctorate (Ph.D.) after six years study and research in the history department of UCC. Colonel Prendergast recently published his first book, Clear – Hold – Build, How the Free State won the Irish Civil War (1922-1923) with Eastwood Publications in 2025. This book encompasses his previous experiences and military education as he spent over six years researching how the newly established Irish National Army utilised a counterinsurgency doctrine that allowed them to convert tactical victories into overall strategic success. Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Walter Frederick Osborne (Irish, 1859–1903), Miss Mollie, Daughter of J.G. Nutting, 1893, oil on canvas, 36 x 25 ½ inches (canvas). Private Collection, Ireland. © Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Photo: Gillian Buckley, DublinPlease join us as we welcome Brendan Rooney who will expand on his study of Osborne’s portraits published in the present exhibition catalogue. In his presentation, Rooney will introduce Osborne as a person, examining the sometimes harsh realities of life with which he had to contend and the realist tradition on which the artist drew. Brendan Rooney serves as head curator at the National Gallery of Ireland. He is the author/editor of numerous books, including Creating History: Stories of Ireland in Art (2016). In addition to the in-focus exhibition Walter Frederick Osborne: The Guinness Portrait presented in 2024, he has curated several exhibitions of the work of prominent Irish painters, among them Roderic O’Conor, John Lavery, Jack B. Yeats, and most recently Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett. He is currently working on a monographic study of the painter Nathaniel Hone (1718–1784). Before the lecture in the atrium, you are encouraged to explore Walter Osborne’s work on view in the Temporary Exhibition Galleries on Level 2. The exhibition will remain open until the lecture begins. Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Engage with art, connect with others, and explore new perspectives in Art + Insight, a program for adults 55+. Through guided close-looking exercises, lively conversations, and shared experiences, we will discover fresh ways to engage with art while building community. Join us for meaningful discussions and creative inspiration in the galleries each month as we explore new works of art together. Parking is available in the Visitor Lot immediately north of the Sculpture Park for a fee during the week (before 4:30 p.m.). Free two-hour parking is available in the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage or along Angela Blvd. After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, parking is free and available in any campus non-gated lot. If traveling via South Bend Transpo, take the No.7 bus and use the Eddy St. Commons stop.   Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Engage with the Raclin Murphy Museum as a space for well-being and inspiration. Join yoga instructor Steve Krojniewski in the galleries to relax and recharge while surrounded by works from the collection. Mats are provided or you can bring your own. 
 Artful Yoga is free and open to all but is limited to 30 participants. Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Experience your museum in a whole new way as DJ PB creates a new soundtrack for your art experience each month. Enjoy an evening where rhythm, melody, and beat echo the textures, colors, and emotions of the works of art on view. Come for the art, and stay for the vibe. Parking is available in the Visitor Lot immediately north of the Sculpture Park for a fee during the week (before 4:30 p.m.). Free two-hour parking is available in the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage or along Angela Blvd. After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, parking is free and available in any non-gated campus lot. If traveling via South Bend Transpo, take the No.7 bus and use the Eddy St. Commons stop.   Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Learning Beyond the Classics: Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema Directed by Nagisa OshimaWith Kei Sato, Fumio Watanabe, Toshio Ishido Not Rated, 118 minutesIn Japanese with English subtitles Genius provocateur Nagisa Oshima, an influential figure in the Japanese New Wave of the 1960s, made one of his most startling political statements with the compelling pitch-black satire Death by Hanging. In this macabre farce, a Korean man is sentenced to death in Japan but survives his execution, sending the authorities into a panic about what to do next. At once disturbing and oddly amusing, Oshima's constantly surprising film is a subversive and surreal indictment of both capital punishment and the treatment of Korean immigrants in his country. GET TICKETS *Free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB students. **Co-presented by the David A. Heskin and Marilou Brill Endowment for Excellence, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship/Hesburgh Libraries.