In 1988, Edna O’Brien gave an interview to Julia Carlson for her seminal book, Banned in Ireland: Censorship & the Irish Writer, which examined the personal, social, and literary impacts of censorship in twentieth-century Ireland. The School of Law and the School of English present a programme of events investigating the history and impact of censorship in Ireland and to celebrate the selection of Edna O’Brien’s The Country Girls Trilogy as Dublin One City One Book 2019, Silencing The Country Girls: Edna O’Brien and the Censor revisits O’Brien’s interview and the issues it raised which continue to resonate today, both within and far beyond the literary world. Julia Carlson joins us to speak about her work on Banned in Ireland, which also featured interviews with John McGahern, Benedict Kiely, and Brian Moore, and the question of gender and censorship. She will also discuss these issues, and their contexts, in conversation with Eoin O’Dell, Associate Professor of Law at Trinity and a leading expert on freedom of expression and copyright. Finally, we welcome the acclaimed actor and writer Noni Stapleton (Penny Dreadful, Charolais)who will bring Edna O’Brien’s witty, candid, and serious interview to life in a special performance.