PRINCESS GRACE IRISH LIBRARY (MONACO)
In 1997-98, the Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco) hosted readings by Edna O'Brien, Derek Mahon, Seamus Heaney (in conjunction with SOFEIR) and Jennifer Johnston as well as talks by Bruce Arnold and Richard Pine. The season's Irish guests in 1998-99 included Brian Fallon (December) Sebastian Barry (January), Carlo Gebler (February), and Bernard McLaverty (April), while Bruce Stewart, Literary Adviser to the Library, lectured on 'Regionalism in Irish Writing' in November.
On St. Patrick's Day the Library presented a concert of Irish song and music at the Chapelle de la Visitation in Monaco-Ville. Organised by M. Michel Crosset, Director of the Académie de Musique, together with Mrs Deirdre Greer Delaney (College of Music/DIT), the programme included traditional songs, versions by Thomas Moore and arrangements by Herbert Hughes, along with sonatas, toccatas, and roundelays for piano by Tom Culleton. Alexandre Audier and Jean-François Borras (tenors) Bruno Habert (baritone) sung solo, duo, and trio - while the piano pieces were performed by the Stephanie Angelini and the brilliant and entrancing child-prodigy Eloïse Hervouet. The concert was presented by Mrs. Delaney in the presence of HSH Princess Rainier and was immensely well-received on all sides (cette merveilleuse Musique irlandaise ... une experience a renouveler' - Nice-Matin). The music was taken from the personal collection of Princess Grace of Monaco, preserved in the Library established as a memorial to her. The Library plans further musical events for future St. Patrick's Days, bringing Irish talents to join those in Monaco - including the Irish students studying at the Académie de Danse. Still more ambitious plans are being made for an Irish presence at the Fêtes de Printemps, a noted international venue for first-rank musicians.
Following the foundation of a Monaco chapter of the Ireland Funds through the efforts of Mr. Arthur Vincent¾ a tireless organiser of the Funds who has given Muckross Abbey to the Irish nation on his own account - the Princess Grace Irish Library is embarking on Eirdata 2000, a project that will bring the large-scale bio-biographical and critical resources accumulated by Bruce Stewart to the wider scholarly community in an online searchable format. The project will go forward at the University of Ulster in Coleraine, where two posts connected with it are to be supported by the Princess Grace Foundation, initially in a one-year pilot scheme.
Having recently brought to print two volumes of the papers of the 12th International James Joyce Conference held in Monaco in 1990, the Library is proceeding to issue in one volume the papers of a conference "Beckett and Beyond" held during 17th-20th May 1991. Besides contributions from James Acheson, Enoch Brater, Thomas Cousineau, Stan Gontarski, James Knowles, Marius Buning, Jack E. Frish, Carla Locatelli, John Pilling and others - including an account of editing of the Samuel Beckett Correspondence by Martha Fehsenfeld and Lois Overbeck, the volume includes addresses by Anthony Cronin, Jack MacGowran, Edward Beckett and Tadhg O'Sullivan. [See also under Conference Table and Publishing News.]