Oscar Wilde, Roger Casement, and Cathal Ó Searcaigh: The Rise and Fall of the Gay Irishman

This lecture covered the lives of three Irish writers and political figures ranging in time from the late 19th to the early 21st Century. What all three have in common is spectacular success in their respective fields and being initially lionized by their societies, coupled with a predilection for young men, which either helped lead to their downfall (Wilde), or at least demonized them in the public eye (Casement and Ó Searcaigh).

Doan examined legal, moral, and psychological aspects of all three cases, as well as examine them from the perspective of Irish and British cultural attitudes. This lecture also coincided with the college’s production of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, presented by the Division of Performing and Visual Arts, October 23–November 1, 2009.