These Isles - A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Best-selling author Brian Groom returns to Wakefield to talk about his forthcoming book, billed as an inventive new look at the entwined histories of Britain and Ireland’s nations – and the people who have called them home.

In These Isles: A People’s History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Brian explores the role of religion and the British Empire, international diasporas and internal migration, gender relations and war in this entertaining narrative.

With forays into popular culture, sport, music, language, literature and art, These Isles stretches from 800,000-year-old footprints on a Norfolk beach to the changing fortunes of the early 21st century. It offers a uniquely rich and kaleidoscopic vision of the shared stories of people across Britain and Ireland – past and present.

The book will be published in February and we hope to have a few copies available on the night for anyone wishing to purchase one directly from the author.

This is Brian's second talk to a Wakefield Civic Society audience - he last presented to us two years ago when he gave a very enjoyable and well received talk about a previous work Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day.

About the author:

Brian Groom is a jounalist and a leading expert on British regional and national affairs. His career was spent mainly at the Financial Times, where he was assistant editor and worked in various capacities. He is also a former editor of Scotland on Sunday, which he launched as deputy editor and which won many awards. Originally from Stretford, Lancashire, he returned to live in the North, in Saddleworth, in 2015.

These Isles is his third book.

The event:

This talk will be presented in the Kingswood Suite at Wakefield Town Hall, Wood Street, Wakefield, WF1 2HQ, starting promptly at 7.30pm. (Doors open at 7pm.)

The event is free to attend and is open to all who are interested in the subject matter.

A live stream option will also be available for anyone unable to attend in person. When selecting your tickets, please make sure you select either an 'in person' ticket if you wish to come to the Town Hall, or a 'live stream' ticket if you wish to watch on-line via Zoom.

A link to the talk will be emailed to you on the day of the event for those who have selected the 'live stream' option.

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