Orla Hogan

DPhil Research Topic

Censorship, Intellectual Freedom and the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland

Supervisor: Senia Paseta

My doctoral research examines the long legacy of censorship in twentieth-century Ireland, tracing how practices of control emerged, evolved and shaped intellectual freedom. I explore the impact of censorship on literature, journalism and public debate, and ask how a country long regarded as a bastion of Catholic conservatism transformed, within just a few decades, into one of the world’s most socially progressive societies. What did this transition mean for those caught at the intersection of tradition and change? These questions – about timelines of transition, about responsibility and memory, about politics and pedagogy – sit at the heart of what I hope to explore during my doctorate. 

My wider interests include the history of the Magdalene Laundries and other Church-run institutions, the politics of memory and accountability, and the role of investigative journalism in late twentieth-century Ireland. I am especially interested in the tensions between silence and resistance, culpability and courage, and in how societies reckon with difficult pasts.

Before beginning my DPhil at Oxford, I completed an MPhil in Modern British History at the University of Cambridge in 2025, funded by the Ramsay Institute. I received my BA in History at Cambridge, where I graduated in 2024 with First Class Honours. I am extremely grateful to the Ramsay Institute for also supporting my doctoral studies.