Bram Stoker and The Petty Sessions

This special Talking History episode, live from the Supreme Court in Dublin, in conjunction with Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival, centres on Bram Stoker and the ‘Petty Sessions: Weird and Wonderful Court Cases from Victorian Ireland’ . Hosted by Tommy Graham, editor of History Ireland.

The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland was Bram Stoker’s second book of nonfiction. For many years this book was considered to be the standard reference work for petty sessions (local courts dealing with minor criminal and civil cases) clerks in Ireland – the equivalent of today’s District Courts. In this episode, we’ll explore these fascinating tales from the Petty Sessions of the 19th century and how they help us understand the Ireland of Bram Stoker’s time as well as the author himself. With guests Paul Kelly, President of the District Court, Zoe Reid, Keeper at The National Archives of Ireland and Professor Jarlath Killeen, Head of the School of English, Trinity College Dublin.

With thanks to David Slevin, Seafra O’Donovan, Jack Lawlor, Eric Rowntree and Marese O’Sullivan from Newstalk, Tara Brady of the Courts Service; and Joe Murphy, Tom Lawlor, and Maria Schweppe and volunteers from the Bram Stoker Festival.