Alistair MacLeod - The Closing Down of Summer, March 12

Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture, 2010 will be hosting Alistair MacLeod.  For the 2010 Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture, and for the first time in his career, MacLeod will read the full text  of his 1976 masterpiece,  “The Closing Down of Summer.” The event will  take place March 12, in the McNally Theatre beginning at 7:30 PM. Admission is free.  For more information see our event page.   [Poster]

Thomas Bartlett - Early Historians of the 'Wild Geese' In French Service, 1840-1950, March 19

D'Arcy McGee Lecture in Irish Studies, 2010 will hosting Thomas Bartlett (The Boston College Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies, 2009-2010).  Bartlett is a visiting scholar at the Burns Library from University of Aberdeen where he has been professor if Modern Irish History.   The talk will be held in the Saint Mary's University Art Gallery at 7:30 p.m. [Poster]

Students interested in doing their graduate work in Ireland, University College Dublin welcomes you - March 19

Open to all students in all disciplines (Arts, Sciences, and Commerce), Dr. Máire Ní Annracháin will give a talk to students who may be interested in continuing their studies in UCD. For more information see our event page.

Ireland and its Discontents: Success and Failure in Modern Ireland

The Irish Studies Programme at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will be hosting CAIS/ACEI’s annual conference from May 19 to May 22, 2010. The theme of the conference is “Ireland and its Discontents: Success and Failure in Modern Ireland” and will include lively academic sessions and literary and cultural events. Professor Clair Wills will give a keynote lecture, there will be readings by the internationally-acclaimed poet, Micheal O’Siadhail, and the Irish-language writer, Micheál Ó Conghaile, and a concert featuring the Aran Island-singer, Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola. Moreover, the conference is partnering with the Ireland Canada University Foundation to bring the Government of Ireland’s ICUF Irish language scholars to Halifax for a roundtable discussion on teaching Irish in Canada.

Click on the link for further information about conference registration, including a registration form, accommodation options, and Halifax. [Click here for additional information.]

The D’Arcy McGee Chair of Irish Studies

The D’Arcy McGee Chair of Irish Studies was established at Saint Mary’s University by Dr. Cyril J. Byrne in the spring of 1986 by means of an endowment from the Charitable Irish Society of Halifax and the University. This was matched by the Department of the Secretary of State of Canada, Multiculturalism Directorate, under the terms of the Endowment Assistance Program.

With these initial funds, the Chair was set up to form a focal point for the study of all aspects of Irish and Irish-Canadian culture, particularly language, literature, history, political science and folklore. While Irish Studies inter-disciplinary courses are mainly for undergraduate students, donations to the trust fund have make possible the development of research projects and the expansion of library holdings at the Patrick Power Library, thus serving to attract graduate students and scholars in the field.

Another important concern of the Chair is interaction with the general community. This has be achieved through the provision of opportunities for local residents and others to pursue their interests in Irish and Irish-Canadian studies through lectures and other similar activities.

The choice of Saint Mary’s University as a centre for Irish and Irish-Canadian studies is a natural one. Saint Mary’s was originally founded by members of the Irish Catholic community in Halifax and has kept many of its Irish connections to the present. An early President, Father Richard Baptist O’Brien, taught monoglot Irish Haligonians in the Irish language, and for many years the college was run by the Christian Brothers, an educational religious order founded in Ireland. Further, while the influx of Irish immigrants was fairly general throughout the Atlantic region in the nineteenth century, Halifax was one of the major ports of entry.

The foundation of the Charitable Irish Society of Halifax (1786) to relieve the sufferings of the indigent Irish poor was remarkable not only for its early date but also because the Society was from the beginning non—sectarian. The Chair of Irish Studies has sought to maintain and expand this ecumenical spirit of ethnic solidarity and generosity by offering the culture and heritage of the Irish and Irish—Canadians to all who are interested in studying the varying streams of Irish culture.