Programme Details

Britain's relationship with Ireland has never been straightforward but it was perhaps at its most vivid and complex during the reign of Queen Victoria. Nineteenth century London was positively teeming with iconic Irish figures - George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, W.B.Yeats, Charles Stewart Parnell as well as the beauties Caroline Norton, Joanna Hiffernan and Kathleen Newton. Between them they helped to shape a new image of what it meant to be Irish and the story of how they did is the subject of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In Night Waves this evening the historian Roy Foster, who is one of the show's curators, will be talking to Philip Dodd about the Irish conquest of Victorian England.

There'll also be an examination of the new cinema that's emerging in Israel with the critic Simon Louvish and the director of Jerusalem's film festival, Lia van Leer and as part of Africa 2005, the British Museum's Christopher Spring will be celebrating the hippo mask which forms a crucial part of Nigeria's cultural heritage.

That's all in Night Waves with Philip Dodd here on BBC Radio 3 at the slightly later than usual time of 9.45pm



Presenter: Philip Dodd
Producer: Zahid Warley







Additional information:
1) Conquering England - Ireland in Victorian London opens at the National Portrait Gallery in London next Wednesday and runs until 19th June 2005. /www.npg.org.uk/live/woconquering.asp
2) The season of new films from Israel opened at the National Film Theatre in London on Tuesday 1st March. The Season will run until until 30th March 2005. www.bfi.org.uk/showing/nft/calendar/seasons.php