Galway woman’s new book ‘infused’ with her native city

Prof. Emer O’Toole who studied English and Philosophy at NUI Galway, now teaches Irish theatre, film and performance at the School of Canadian Irish Studies, at Concordia University in Montreal.

She left Galway after her Arts degree to pursue further studies at Trinity College Dublin. In 2012, she completed a PhD at Royal Holloway College at the University of London before moving to Canada.

She is scholar of theatre, film and performance, whose research examines the various influences  that inform performances of Irishness in a globalized and globalizing world. These influences include things like economics, politics, history, race, gender and class.

She has dropped her anchor in Canada it would seem. “Montreal is a beautiful city, with a good arts scene and a vibrant grassroots political culture. My French is improving slowly but surely. I’m delighted to have landed in this part of the world, and I hope I’ll be here for a very long time,” she told the Galway City Tribune.

Prof. O’Toole loves her life across the Atlantic, finding her work incredibly rewarding. “My students are incredible – passionate, smart, opinionated, hard-working, and creative. You wouldn’t believe how much they love Irish theatre! My colleagues are forward-thinking, interdisciplinary, supportive and great auld craic. It’s just a lovely place to work,” she explains.

She does, however, reveal her deep gratitude for access to the arts in Galway as a reason she is performance scholar now.

“I probably wouldn't be a performance scholar without the practical theatre-making training given to me by the fantastic folks of Galway Youth Theatre, and the exciting three years I spent studying English and Philosophy at NUI Galway. I think of GYT and NUIG with immense gratitude.”

Prof. O’Toole’s book Girls Will Be Girls is an “accessible and fun book explaining the academic ideas around gender and feminism” according to the author. It is an insightful look at themes like structure and agency, and how cultural conditioning shapes how we behave as humans.

The first three chapters of her book are based solely in Galway. This clearly evidences her roots to the region. “Galway infuses Girls Will Be Girls – from childhood summers in Connemara, to boogying with my beors at Strange Brew.”

She builds on this by saying “The first three chapters of [the book] are set in Galway: I sketch the ways in which a West of Ireland childhood and young adulthood conditioned me into gendered beliefs and behaviours.”

Emer O’Toole gained notoriety after an appearance on ITV’s This Morning show in which she discussed feminism and the idea of body image. She appeared on the show having gone 18 months without shaving and famously asked live on air: “Will I get my pits out for the lads?” referring of course to her arm pits.

This highlights that she has never been one to conform for conformity’s sake. She is opinionated, intelligent and funny to boot.

Prof O’Toole, however, has many other strings to her bow. She also writes a column for The Guardian, and it is clear talking to her why writing is such an important part of the person she is.

“I love writing the way some people love playing football, cooking or making music. I've always written. I'll always write. I write because when I don’t I feel like my head’ll explode and the tiny, untamed thoughts therein will go running through the streets screaming, stamping and biting misogynists.”

When drawn on what she enjoys writing about she is frank and honest, like we’ve come to expect from her columns in a sense.

“When it comes to subject matter, I care deeply about equality of gender, race, class, ability and sexual orientation. I teach in an Irish studies department, so I'm immersed in Irish art, politics, history and sociology, and think and write about Ireland all the time.”

The subject matter she deals with in her columns is both broad and diverse. She has covered topics like polyamory, feminism, BDSM, terrorism and even Garth Brooks!

The idea of equality clearly resonates with her, discussing the upcoming marriage equality referendum she was unequivocal: “I think it will pass. It’s so important for Irish society. It’s Ireland’s opportunity to prove that it loves all its citizens equally.”

She thinks the next major step in Irish society is to legislate for “safe, legal abortions”. Ireland’s march towards progress she attributes to “the unflinching work of liberal activists.”

For her, Ireland has come on in leaps and bounds in the past decade or so. However, she does concede that “we're a nation of eye-rollers”.

“Sometimes when I’m home I just want to stop a conversation and say ‘careful now, if you roll those eyes back any more, your irises’ll disappear into your sockets altogether’.”

For her, the changes coming to Ireland aren’t enough to tempt her to return to the blustery windswept shores of Galway. “I'm never coming back to live in the West of Ireland. In Galway, men talk and women are talked over. Respect to the wonderful Westie women speaking up, speaking out, and trying to create change, but I had to leave to find my voice.”

That is not to say that she is entirely disparaging of the City of the Tribes. “I miss Galway all the time. I love that you can't stand on Cross Street for ten minutes without someone casting you in a play or roping you into a puppet-making workshop.

“I love how laidback Galway is – everyone has time to stop and chat. When the sun comes out, the whole city’s smiling. It's where my family and many of my best and oldest friends live. Of course, I miss Galway.”

When asked what she misses most about Galway, she gives a simple one word answer “my Mum”.

You can follow Emer on Twitter @Emer_OToole and her new book ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is available at most good book stores.