‘Spain Today’ is the theme being addressed at an afternoon symposium in NUI Galway on Thursday 6^th October at 5.30 p.m. The talks will be given by two experts on modern Spain who will discuss the politics, economics and current situation of Spain, in a context where the country has been without a government since December 2015. Like Ireland, Spain is currently bouncing back from a deep economic crisis, although there continues to be high unemployment and an uncertain political situation. The guest lecturers are two of the foremost experts on contemporary Spain. William Chislett is an analyst at the Royal Elcano Institute in Madrid, which has published four books of his, including A New Course for Spain: Beyond the Crisis. He publishes a monthly review of the main events taking place in the country, called Inside Spain. Guy Hedgecoe is Irish Times correspondent in Madrid and author of Freezing Franco: The Battle for Spain’s Memory. The two speakers will review recent history and current developments in Spain, and will offer fresh insights into situation on the ground in this fascinating country which is the world’s tenth largest economy and one of the key players in the European Union.‌

After these talks, the launch will take place of the recently-published book Contemporary Spain, 4^th edition (Routledge, 2016) written by Chris Ross and two lecturers from the Discipline of Spanish at NUI Galway, Bill Richardson and Begoña Sangrador-Vegas.

The symposium is sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Dublin. It will run from 5.30 – 7.00 p.m. and is aimed at a general audience; members of the public are welcome to attend.