Irish Institute Lecture: Dr. Rebecca Miller

Drawing, in part, on personal remembrances as articulated in oral histories and interviews, the field of memory studies provides a deeply nuanced lens into historical constructions of aesthetics and identity of individuals, communities, and nations. Crucially, memory studies relies also on the flip side of cultural memory -- forgetting and, in many instances, near total erasure -- both of which point to the presence of a problem or ambivalence.

In this talk, Miller examines how the immensely popular showband music and dance scene that swept Ireland and Northern Ireland from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s has been variously remembered, forgotten/erased, and, most recently, reassessed. The talk will draw on the perspectives and memories of former musicians, fans, dancehall owners, and others associated with the showband industry as well as on critiques and reviews by Irish music critics and academics. Through understanding the dynamics of remembering, forgetting, and ultimately, rethinking the legacy of showbands, Miller illuminates core concerns of identity and post-colonial discomfort, while attending to the question of who and what gets recorded as part of modern Irish cultural history and why.

Rebecca Miller is Professor of Music at Hampshire College, in Amherst, MA, where she teaches ethnomusicology, writing, and journalism. Her research areas include music of Ireland and Irish-America, the Eastern Caribbean, and music of immigrant and refugee communities throughout the United States. Miller’s most recent book is Are You Dancing? Showbands, Popular Music, and Memory in Modern Ireland (May, 2025, Indiana University Press). e books on spirituality for social engagement. Their work has been published in a wide range of other books and journals.

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