Talking History offers a distinctive exploration of pivotal political, social and cultural events that have shaped our world, examining the complex figures central to these historical moments. Hosted by Dr Patrick Geoghegan of Trinity College Dublin, this programme interrogates the multifaceted, often contested dimensions of our collective past, illuminating what these historical narratives reveal about contemporary society.

WB Yeats & The Occult
A century after W.B. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, this episode of RTÉ's Talking History hosted by Dr. Patrick Geoghegan brings together distinguished scholars to examine the complex interplay between Yeats's literary achievements, his political engagements, and his lifelong fascination with the occult. This multifaceted exploration illuminates how these seemingly disparate elements combined to produce one of the 20th century's most significant literary voices.

The panel features remarkable scholarly expertise, including Dr. Adrian Paterson from the University of Galway, Dr. Lucy Collins from University College Dublin, and Professor Roy Foster from the University of Oxford, who authored the definitive two-volume biography of Yeats. They are joined by Professor Margaret Harper, Glucksman Professor in Contemporary Writing at the University of Limerick and former Director of the Yeats International Summer School, and Susan O'Keeffe, Director of the Yeats Society Sligo.

Their discussion reveals how Yeats's involvement with esoteric traditions—from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to spiritualism and automatic writing—was not peripheral to his literary work but central to his understanding of symbolism, imagination, and cultural renewal. The Tattwa Cards mentioned in the caption, which Yeats created during his membership in the Golden Dawn, represent physical evidence of how seriously he engaged with occult practices as tools for accessing deeper realities beyond ordinary perception.

This occult dimension of Yeats's work was intimately connected to his vision of Irish cultural nationalism. The mythological and supernatural elements he incorporated into his poetry and plays were part of a conscious effort to construct a distinctively Irish literary tradition that could stand apart from English influences while connecting to broader European cultural movements.

The centenary of Yeats's Nobel Prize provides an opportunity to reconsider how his integration of occult symbolism, mythological narratives, and political engagement produced a body of work that continues to resonate globally while remaining deeply rooted in Irish cultural experience.