On March 8th Irish voters will decide once again on changing the constitutional definition of family. Since 2015 the Irish Constitution has been amended four times through a similar process of nationwide referendums. This talk will consider the history and context of the document that is being so routinely rewritten, the Irish Constitution of 1937. How and who wrote it? What was its significance at the time? And why do 21st century Irish voters feel it needs to be rewritten? What do these constitutional changes tell us about Ireland in the 21st century?
Join Siena College professor Karen Sonnelitter as she discusses the latest question before Irish voters. Karen Sonnelitter is Associate Professor and Department Chair of History at Siena College. She is editor of The Great Irish Famine (Broadview Press) and the author of Charity Movements in Eighteenth-Century Ireland: Philanthropy and Improvement.