Ruth Barton

Prof Ruth Barton is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin (BA Mod). Following her degree in Modern Languages, she trained as a copywriter at McConnell’s Advertising Agency in Dublin before moving to London and working in film exhibition and publicity. On her return to Dublin she took a Masters in Film Studies at University College Dublin (passed with distinction), followed by a PhD (Thesis title: 'From History to Heritage: Representations of History and the Past in Contemporary Irish Cinema'). She was the recipient of two funding awards from the Irish Research Council (then IRCHSS). In 2007, she joined the staff of Trinity College. She is currently Head of School of Creative Arts. With funding from Creative Ireland, she is leading PI on a research project, ‘Ecologies of Cultural Production’, on careers in the creative industries.
Ruth Barton is a global authority on Irish film and is the author of numerous books and articles in this field. She is editor of a collection of essays on Irish-American film and television, and on the Irish in Britain She has co-edited volumes of essays on Irish cinema and television, and on music in Early Cinema. Other research interests include stardom and diaspora studies.. She has written a best-selling critical biography of the film star, Hedy Lamarr, and of the Irish silent director, Rex Ingram. She has been Visiting Professor at the University of Concordia, Montreal, and the University of São Paulo, Brazil. She appears regularly on radio as a film historian and film critic and is a long-time proponent of developing public engagement with the Arts and Humanities.
She is a fellow of Trinity College Dublin.