Speakers at the 17th Desmond Greaves summer school, held in Dublin this weekend, will discuss the life and work of the Marxist historian and examine the role of the left in Ireland.
The event, at the Irish Labour History Museum in Beggars Bush, will look at Greaves's legacy and work in the context of recent developments in the peace process.
There will also be a forum for reminiscences about Greaves by people who knew him.
Last night, opening the school, Eugene Mac Cartan, general secretary of the Communist Party of Ireland, examined the prospects for the left in Ireland in the context of recent economic and political developments and pointed out the key areas to be addressed to mobilise the forces to realise radical change in Ireland.
Speakers at the school today and tomorrow include journalist and author of The Story of the Irish Peace Process, Owen Bennett, who will examine the developing peace process and assess the views of its supporters and of its critics.
Historians Mary Cullen and Dr Brian Hanley will evaluate Greaves's historical writings and his contribution as an historian.
The event ends tomorrow with recollections from friends of Greaves including Gerard Curran, former literary editor of the Irish Democrat in London.
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