Area Reports 2022 – 2023

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  1. Ireland
  2. Europe
  3. North America
  4. Japan
  5. Other Countries

Ireland Report

Compiled by Tom Walker

This report gives the members of IASIL a snapshot of some of the many events, activities and achievements related to the study of Irish literature and culture that have taken place in several universities across the island of Ireland since we last met in Limerick in 2022. Sincere thanks to Ellen Howley, Stefanie Lehner, Ailbhe McDaid, Karl O’Hanlon, and Ian Walsh for their help in compiling this report.

Dublin City University

Two books from the School of English were published as part of Routledge’s Studies in Irish Literature series: Jennifer Mooney’s Feminist Discourse in Irish Literature: Gender and Power in Louise O’Neill’s Young Adult Fiction, and the essay collection, co-edited by Ellen Howley, Seamus Heaney’s Mythmaking. Eugene McNulty also co-edited the collection Law and Literature: The Irish Case, published by Liverpool University Press. A website was launched to celebrate Padraic Colum’s 50th anniversary, as part of Keith O’Sullivan’s collaborative work with Pádraic Whyte of Trinity College Dublin. The Royal Irish Academy’s book Irish Sporting Lives, featured a number of biographies authored by Jim Shanahan. Michael Hinds and Kit Fryatt contributed essays on Irish poetry pamphlets and zine culture to issue 11 of Poetry Ireland’s Trumpet magazine. Kit Fryatt was also interviewed for an oral history of the Irish literary magazine Metre by Kenneth Keating, published in the Stinging Fly 46.2 (2022). Both Derek Hand, and former colleague, Julie Anne Stevens, contributed to the edited collection, Deirdre Madden: New Critical Perspectives, published by Manchester University Press. Darren Murphy presented at the AEDEI conference on Seamus Heaney, Tom Paulin and Owen McCafferty’s versions of Antigone.

Maynooth University 

Michael G. Cronin was awarded the Robert Rhodes Prize for Books on Irish Literature by the American Conference of Irish Studies (ACIS) for his 2022 book Revolutionary Bodies (Manchester University Press). With other activists and writers, in February 2023 Sinéad Kennedy addressed Sarah Lawrence College on her work in ‘Repealing the Eighth: Ireland’s 2018 Abortion Referendum’. With Gail McConnell of QUB, Karl O’Hanlon received funding from the North-South Research Programme for ‘“Our roots travel widely: Beyond Regionalism and Nationalism in Irish Poetry’ (BRAN). This project aims to look beyond regionalism and nationalism to recover a sense of Irish poetry that is dynamic and collaborative, shaped by international energies and the too-long overlooked role of women, minorities, migrants, and visitors to the island. The project was launched in March 2023 with a symposium in the Museum of Literature Ireland, and a digital exhibition, anthology, and audio installations will emerge during the course of the project.In December 2022, Tapasya Narang, who works on Irish and Indian poetry, edited a special issue of Poetry Ireland pamphlet The Trumpet, exploring literary ephemera, with contributions from David Wheatley, Kit Fryatt, Michael Hinds, and Christodoulos Makris. Emer Nolan’s review essay ‘Portrait of the Artist’s Politics: Ulysees at 100’ appeared in the TLS to commemorate the centenary of James Joyce’s modernist masterpiece, and survey recent work in the field. Patricia Palmer, who is heading the MACMORRIS project, gave a keynote address ‘We need to think about early Modern Ireland’ at the 2022 IASIL conference in Limerick. 

University of Galway

The Centre for Irish Studies and and Roinn na Gaeilge hosted the hybrid Fráma Eile roundtable series exploring new approaches to framing established texts (in both English and Irish), material objects, and artwork in the Irish Studies canon. Other important conference and events included: a conference in September 2022 on ‘Irish Travellers / Mincéirs & the State, 1922-2022’; the Pan Pan Theatre Symposium and Archive Launch including a Digital Exhibition Launch in November 2022; a conference on ‘Globalization, Landscape, and Environment in Modern Ireland’ at the Moore Institute in June 2023; the ninth Silas Conference, ‘Reimaginings and Reconstructions: Ireland, Latin America, Spain and the Caribbean in Times of Change and Uncertainty’, also in June 2023. In May 2024, Galway will also host the annual Irish Society for Theatre Research conference. 

Queen’s University Belfast

In November 2022, the Seamus Heaney Centre, together with the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, hosted the hybrid conference ‘Creating a World Without Violence Against Women & Girls: The Role of the Arts’. In September 2023, the Seamus Heaney Centre will host a commemorative conference, ‘Last Night’s Fun’, in memory of the life and work of Ciaran Carson. In addition, the Seamus Heaney Centre staged a very active programme or readings, masterclasses and events. The Institute of Irish Studies also hosted many speakers at its ongoing research seminar, including Marilynn Richtarik, Catherine Flynn and Niall Carson.

Trinity College Dublin 

The School of English and the Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing oversaw the awarding of the 2022 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature to Seán Hewitt, for his memoir All Down Darkness Wide, and the 2023 John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize to Victoria Adukwei Bulley for her debut collection Quiet. Conferences organized at the Long Room Hub included: a celebration of the poetry of Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin on the occasion of her 80th birthday in November 2022; and ‘Decriminalization at 30’, reflecting on the anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in the Republic of Ireland, including contributions by scholars and activists, as well as writers and artists. The Oscar Wilde Centre hosted James Harpur as the 2023 Writer Fellow, and Niamh Campbell and Nathan O’Donnell were appointed as the Inaugural Beckett Creative Fellows in 2022-23. 

University College Cork 

The School of English and Digital Humanities donor-funded series of literary events included public readings by Jackie Kay, Max Porter and John Banville. The School also celebrated ten years of its Creative Writing programme and launched the Miriam Cotter MA Creative Writing Scholarship for disadvantaged and underrepresented students. Otto Goodwin, BA English student, was awarded the Eavan Boland Emerging Poet Award for 2023. Adam Hanna received an honourable mention for his Syracuse University Press book, Poetry, Politics and the Law from the American Conference for Irish Studies’ Robert Rhodes Prize committee. The closing event of the five-year ‘Ports, Past and Present’ project took place in University College Cork on the 26-27 April 2023. The project, led by Claire Connolly, explored the cultural history of the Irish sea basin and the closing event celebrated project outcomes including creative works, over 200 cultural heritage stories, and a new tourism business network.

Europe Report

Compiled by Marisol Morales-Ladrón  

IRISH STUDIES ACTIVITIES IN GERMANY

Conferences, Symposia, and Workshops

Funded Research Projects

Guest Lectures and Roundtable Discussions

Author Readings, Interviews and other Cultural Events:

“Patrick Freyne, ‘OK, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea’ (2020)”, 6 Dec. 2022, ISWÜ: Irish Studies Würzburg; https://www.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/irish-studies/aktuelles/single/news/author-reading-patrick-freyne-ok-lets-do-your-stupid-idea-2020/; videocast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29KXjHFb94s.

Readings with Irish writers: Michael Magee, Leeanne Quinn and James Conor Patterson, University of Stuttgart.

EFACIS Irish Itinerary Podcast (episode 36, Oct. 2022): Belfast poet Padraig Regan in Conversation with Jessica Bundschuh (University of Stuttgart); https://www.efacis.eu/podcast

Miscellaneous Information

  • October 2022–March 2023: Dr. Maurice Fitzpatrick is the Travelling Visiting Professor in Irish Studies at the University of Tübingen; https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/universitaet/aktuelles-und-publikationen/newsletter-uni-tuebingen-aktuell/2023/2/forschung/2/. This visiting professorship for Irish Studies is a joint initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Ireland (ESP Irish Studies), the Irish Embassy in Berlin and the Universities of the Saarland, Tübingen, Würzburg and Wuppertal. In the winter semester 2023/24, the University of Würzburg will host the Travelling Visiting Professor in Irish Studies, Prof. Dr. Maureen O’Connor from University College Cork.
  • Excursion: The Irish Experience”, 25 June – 1 July 2023, organized by Prof. Dr. Maria Eisenmann, Prof. Dr. Ina Bergmann, and Franca Leitner, M.A., for University of Würzburg students. A report on the excursion will be published soon on the ISWÜ homepage.
  • (Funded) Faculty Project on the Tactility of Irish Literature (2022/2023), University of Stuttgart in cooperation with the bilingual Gynmasium in Stuttgart-West, Königin-Olga-Gymnasium; organiser: Jessica Bundschuh; https://www.ilw.uni-stuttgart.de/abteilungen/englische_literaturen/veranstaltungen/sensing-literature-talents/
  • Katharina Rennhak (University of Wuppertal) received the Ambassador of Ireland – St. Patrick’s Day Award 2023 for her contribution to reinvigorating Irish Studies in Germany.
  • “50 Jahre Irland in der EU [50 Years of Ireland in the EU]”, a conversation (live and for rbb24Inforadio) with Linda Heitmann, Paul Maeser, and Katharina Rennhak; host: Harald Asel; 28 June 2023, Europäische Akademie Berlin; https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/forum/irland-ein-unbekannter-europameister-am-rand-des-kontinents/rbb24-inforadio/94574462/

CENTRE FOR IRISH STUDIES AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY (CISA), DENMARK

Activities at the Centre for Irish Studies, Aarhus University (CISA: https://cisa.au.dk/ ), continue to be twinned with those of the European Research Council funded project Classical Influences and Irish Culture (CLIC): https://clic.au.dk/

Ulysses Reading Group:

In celebration of the centenary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses, a regular reading group was led in the autumn semester by Joyce expert Ronan Crowley, President-Elect of the International James Joyce Foundation. With Ronan’s masterful guidance, our group of enthusiasts made its way through the whole novel – a first time accomplishment for many of us!

Hybrid Conferences (on campus at Aarhus University and online):

Classical Antiquity and Medieval Ireland (29-31 August 2022) – Supported by the Carlsberg Foundation and the European Research Council 

This workshop-style conference featured colleagues at different career stages working on medieval Irish texts with classical influences. The conference served as preparation for an anthology of texts, in medieval Irish (or Latin) with English translations, and accompanying essays, based on the presentations. The open access volume Classical Antiquity and Medieval Ireland (edited by Michael Clarke, Erich Poppe and Isabelle Torrance) is forthcoming in Bloomsbury’s Classical Receptions series.

Irish Migrations and Classical Antiquity (1-3 November 2022) – Supported by the European Research Council

This flagship conference of the Classical Influences and Irish Culture ERC project was delighted to host former President of Ireland Mary McAleese as Keynote Speaker. Following the keynote, a range of speakers from different disciplines interrogated how Irish figures have mapped experiences of migration through the lens of classical models from Graeco-Roman antiquity, from the medieval period to the present day, and also how Irish emigrants may have impacted other cultures with their classical learning. An open access volume (edited by Isabelle Torrance) is in preparation for Bloomsbury’s Classical Diaspora series. 

Graeco-Roman Influences in Irish Visual and Material Culture (11-12 May 2023) – Supported by the Carlsberg Foundation and the European Research Council 

This conference brought together a range of scholars to discuss how classical influences have been enmeshed in the politics of Irish visual and material culture from the medieval period to the present day. The papers will be published in a special open access issue of Classics Ireland (30), edited by Ciarán Rua O’Neill and Isabelle Torrance.

For details of other seminars and events held by CISA in 2022-23, please visit our website https://cisa.au.dk/ .

IRISH ACTIVITIES IN FRANCE 

Colloquiums, conferences, seminars and workshops

  • Seminar (online GIS EIRE seminar, axis “Rethinking Ireland’s position in today’s world”, hosted by Grainne O’Keeffe-Vigneron & Anne Groutel:  « Northern Ireland reconfigured? Reflections on peace and democracy in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement », by Philippe Cauvet, University of Poitiers.
  • Workshop on Irish studies, “Cultural mediation(s) and transmission(s) in Ireland”; organized by Anne Goarzin and Erick Falc’her-Poyroux, 2023 SAES international conference, hosted by University of Rennes, 1-2 June 2023. 
  • International Conference « Greening the Harp : Irish Contemporary Poetics & Politics of Ecology » 18-19 November  2022, organized by Clíona Ní Riordáin, Marion Naugrette-Fournier, hosted by Paris, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, https://calenda.org/1032774?file=1
  • International Conference: 2023 SOFEIR International Conference at Lille University: «  The Presence of the Past: Problematising Temporalities in Irish Studies », organized by Prof. Hélène Lecossois, Prof. Fiona McCann, Dr Claire Dubois, Dr Emilie Berthillot. https://www.sofeir.fr/programme-colloque-sofeir-9-10-mars-2023-universite-de-lille/
  • Seminar Franco-British/Irish seminar on Irish history, 26 January 2023 : organized by Frank Rynne (CY Cergy Paris Université), “The Queen v.  Parnell: A state trial and the Irish Land War, 1879-82”, https://www.sofeir.fr/seminaire-the-queen-v-parnell-a-state-trial-and-the-irish-land-war-1879-82/
  • Seminar on Popular culture(s), hosted by CIRLEP at the University of Reims, 15 February 23. « Belfast, City of Crime through the TV series The Fall » (BBC2, 2013-2016) », organized by Sylvie Mikowski et Fabrice Mourlon –
  • International Conference, 20th anniversary AFIS (Association of Franco-Irish Studies) International Conference, 25-26 May 2023, University of La Rochelle, « Adventure in Ireland and France » organized by Brigitte Bastiat and Frank Healy. https://m.facebook.com/p/Association-of-Franco-Irish-Studies-AFIS-100057108174496/ 
  • One-day Conference : « British intelligence in Europe (and Ireland), 20 June 2023, organized by Emilie Berthillot, Mona Parra, University of Grenoble Alpes
  • NB : Future colloquium: 2024 SOFEIR International Conference at Grenoble Alpes /Chambéry University: «Migrations », organized by Marie Mianowski, Léa Boichard, March 2024 (specific dates still to be confirmed). 

Ongoing seminars in Irish Studies

  • Irish Thursdays seminar 2022-2023 (University of Paris Sorbonne Nouvelle, PRISMES – CREW)
  • CECILLE Irish seminar 2022-2023 (University of  Lille) 
  • ERIBIA Irish seminar (University of Caen & Normandy) 

Publications

Monographs & (co-)edited works 

  • Frédéric ARMAO

–Uisneach or the Center of Ireland.  London & New York: Routledge, 2022, 336 pp., ISBN-13: 978-0367697709.

–Folklores et Mythologies Celtiques dans le monde anglophone, Babel-Civilisations & Sociétés n°21, Université de Toulon, 2022.Ed. : Noémie BECK (Université de Chambéry) et Frédéric ARMAO, ISSN: 2743-2688.

  • Pauline COLLOMBIER

Pauline Collombier, Imagining Ireland’s Future (1870-1914): Home Rule, Utopia, Dystopia, Palgrave Macmillan, January 2023. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-18825-1

  • Alexandra MACLENNAN

Alexandra Maclennan, ed., The Irish Catholic Diaspora. Five Centuries of Global Presence, Oxford: Peter Lang, 2023.

  • Marie MIANOWSKI

Marie Mianowski et Maëlle Jeanniard du Dot (dir.), ILCEA, 50 | 2023, “Du seuil au refuge, le défi de l’hospitalité” [Online], Online since 01 March 2023, URL: https:// journals.openedition.org/ilcea/16114 

Essays and Book chapters

  • Vanessa BOULLET and Julien Guillaumond, « Covid-19 and well-being policies in Ireland, a preliminary study with a focus on young people »  in Louise Dalingwater, Vanessa Boullet, Iside Costantini et Paul Gibbs, dir., The Unequal Costs of Covid-19 on Well-being in Europe, Springer International Publishing AG, décembre 2022.
  • Olivier COQUELIN : « Un “soviet” de grévistes à Belfast » ? La Grande Grève de Belfast de 1919 », n° 48.1 Etudes Irlandaises.
  • Martin O’Donoghue, Faith and Fatherland? The Ancient Order of Hibernians, northern nationalism and the partition of Ireland’, Irish Historical Studies, vol. 46, no. 169 (May 2022), pp 77-100. ‘A notable personage and a freeman of the city’: The funeral of Richard ‘Boss’ Croker in revolutionary Ireland’, History Ireland, vol. 30, no. 3 (May/June 2022), pp 22-5.
  • Thierry ROBIN, “Maurice Goldring: History in the first person singular. When crime fiction helps understand and transcend the contradictions of sectarian geography in Ireland and elsewhere”, in Études irlandaises 48-1 | 2023, Nationalism, culture and conflicts in Ireland. Essays in honour of Maurice Goldring co-edited by Laurent Colantonio et Clíona Ní Ríordáin. P. 51-70, https://journals.openedition.org/etudesirlandaises/14796 
  • Karina WENDLING, « De Loochoo à Dingle : agents et réseaux missionnaires protestants en Irlande dans leur rapport à l’empire (1815-1850) », in Hélène Vu Thanh (ed.), Les missions religieuses à l’épreuve des empires coloniaux (XVIe-XXe siècle), Paris, Maisonneuve et Larose/Hémisphères, 2022.

Journals in Irish studies

  • Études irlandaises 48-1 | 2023, Nationalisme, culture et conflits en Irlande, Textes réunis en hommage à Maurice Goldring/Nationalism, culture and conflicts in Ireland. Essays in honour of Maurice Goldring co-edited by Laurent Colantonio et Clíona Ní Ríordáin  https://journals.openedition.org/etudesirlandaises/14701

IRISH ACTIVITIES IN SPAIN

The annual AEDEI International Conference for Irish Studies was successfully held in Valencia on May 31-June 2, 2023. The main organizer was María Gaviña Costero, from the University of Valencia. The theme of this year was “Violence: Repercussion, Resistance and Representation in Irish Society and Culture”. The papers we had those 3 days explored this theme, by presenting, contrasting, analyzing and debating the different expressions of violence, its repercussions, forms of resistance and, especially, the representation of all of them in Irish societal and cultural expressions, extrapolating them in turn to the reality of the European Space. We had attendants from 15 different nationalities, and we were simply delighted with the response to the call for papers, made initially at the end of 2022, with more than 80 papers which were presented during those three days. Irish writers Marina Carr and Rosemary Jenkinson came thanks to financial support from the EFACIS Irish Itinerary.

We now look forward to our 22nd AEDEI Conference, which will be held at the end of May 2024 at the University of Alcalá de Henares. The main organizers will be Marisol Morales Ladrón and Juan Elices Agudo. 

During this last year, Estudios Irlandeses, the scholarly journal of AEDEI, has published its regular issue (issue 18: https://www.estudiosirlandeses.org/issue/issue-18/) in March 2023. 

Other academic events happening in Spain on the field of Irish Studies include the following (many of these activities were partially funded by EFACIS through the program of the Irish Itinerary):

  • On 25-27 January 2023, the VI International Seminar on Irish Studies took place at the University of Granada, under the direction of Pilar Villar Argáiz. The Irish artist whose participation was funded by the Irish Itinerary sponsored by EFACIS was Theo Dorgan. 
  • On the week of 13-20 March 2023, The Circle of Irish Studies at the University of Granada organized a series of academic events on occasion of the celebration of St Patrick’s. This included intensive seminars on Irish dancing, culture and literature, and a musical-dancing performance by the University Céilí Band. 
  • The “VI International Seminar in Irish Studies: Elements of Aesthetics in Constructing Form and Identity” took place at the University of la Rioja on March 14-29, 2023. This event was organized by Melania Terrazas Gallego. Irish musicians Katerina García and Pádraig Ó Liatháin through the Irish Itinerary sponsored by EFACIS.
  • On March 24, 2023, the new EFACIS Centre for Irish Studies at the University of Cáceres was officially inaugurated, led by Carolina P. Amador-Moreno.
  • On May 11-12, 2023, the 32th annual conference of the Spanish James Joyce Association organized its annual conference at the University of Alcalá de Henares, under the direction of Prof. Juan Ignacio Oliva Cruz.

IRISH ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

The major support of Irish Studies in the UK is the British Association of Irish Studies (BAIS). Among its significant activities are:

The BAIS Book Prize

Won by Aidan Enright for Charles Owen O’Conor, the O’Conor Don: Landlordism, Liberal Catholicism and Unionism in Nineteenth-Century Ireland (Four Courts Press). The chair of this year’s judges, Dr Clíona Ó Gallchoir, said that Enright’s political biography is ‘an illuminating and well-written study’ that ‘an apparently minor figure whose complex affiliations of class, religion and political outlook led him to become increasingly marginalized as politics in Ireland became inexorably polarized along nationalist and unionist lines, and generates from it a fascinating window on the history of the period. The book offers both detailed texture in relation to its subject and an assured command of the wider historical and political context, drawing on a wide range of sources to generate a narrative that is both compelling and nuanced and makes a significant contribution to the understanding of nineteenth-century Ireland.’

Jack Quin was highly commended for his book on W.B. Yeats and the Language of Sculpture (Oxford UP).

The BAIS Essay Prize 

The 2023 Essay Prize winner is Fearghal Grace for his essay on ‘’Irish ex-servicemen, Post-war Reconstruction and the Empire Settlement Act’. Highly commended is Will Fleming’s ‘Policed by Narrow Networks of Patronage’: A Case Study in Irish Poetry and State Funding’. 

Conferences, Symposia, and Talks:

  • Conference of Irish Historians in Britain, Cardiff University, 7–9 September 2022
  • Seamus Heaney Lecture, delivered by Professor Philippe Sands KC, Institute of Irish Studies (Liverpool), 7 December 2022
  • Parnell Lecture in Irish Studies, delivered by Daniel Mulhall, Magdalene College (Cambridge), 20 February 2023
  • National Irish Studies Conference (presented by the Manchester Irish Education Group), Irish World Heritage Centre, 11 March 2023
  • Celtic Students Conference, University of Glasgow, 30 March–1 April 2023
  • Contemporary Irish Literature, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford, 15 April 2023
  • Irish-Language Literature: A Millennium and a Half of Tradition, Irish Cultural Centre (Hammersmith), 17 June 2023
  • Irish Nurses in the NHS: the Liverpool story, Professor Louise Ryan (London Metropolitan University), Grainne McPolin (retired nurse and now independent documentary maker) with research assistant Neha Doshi (London Met), 19 June 2023 (recording available at https://youtu.be/4emFoZfmYuM
  • Emma DeSouza, the GFA at 25, Irish Cultural Centre (Hammersmith), 31 May 2023
  • Conference of Irish Historians in Britain, Hertford College (Oxford), 5–7 July 
  • Seamus Heaney Lecture, delivered by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Institute of Irish Studies (Liverpool), 2 November 2023

Seminar Series 

  • Early Modern British and Irish History Seminar (University of Cambridge)
  • Modern Irish History Seminar (University of Cambridge)
  • Modern Irish History Seminar (University of Edinburgh)
  • Oxford Seminar in Irish History (Hertford College, University of Oxford)
  • Charles Peake Ulysses Seminar (Institute of English Studies, University of London)
  • Finnegans Wake Research Seminar (Institute of English Studies, University of London)
  • The Finnegans Wake Book Club, Camden Council/Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith
  • Irish Studies Seminar (Institute of English Studies, University of London)
  • Irish Literary Society 
  • Irish Studies Research Group Seminar (Liverpool Hope University)
  • Irish Studies Research Seminar (Queen’s University, Belfast) 
  • London Beckett Seminar (Institute of English Studies, University of London)
  • Postgrad Irish Studies Reading Group (Queen’s University, Belfast)
  • Tyneside Irish History Lecture Series (Tyneside Irish Cultural Society & Newcastle University)

Exhibitions

  • ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES by Fion Gunn, Artist in Residence, Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery & Museum, 30 July–23 December 2022
  • ‘Painting Ulysses’ by Aidan Hickey, Irish Cultural Centre (Hammersmith), 3 July 2023
  • #IAMIRISH—Celebrating Diversity, Irish Cultural Centre (Hammersmith), 5 July 2023
  • 50 Years of ‘Irish in Britain’ heritage project, roadshow exhibition, late 2023

North America Report

Compiled by José Lanters

Irish Studies in North America, 2022

Many Irish Studies-related events happen in North America every year, on a local, regional, and national level. This is only a selection.

Conferences and Association Events

The annual national meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS), themed ‘Irish Studies: Pasts, Presents, and Futures’, took place online, April 29-30, 2022. Annual regional ACIS conferences were also held in 2022 at St Joseph’s University, PA (Oct. 14-15, New England & Mid-Atlantic); University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (Oct. 6-8, Midwest); Arizona State University (Oct. 13-15, Western); and Athens, GA (Dec. 2-3, Southern).

ACIS awarded six book prizes, a dissertation prize, an essay prize, and an award for an excellent paper presented at the conference by a graduate student. For all information about past and future ACIS events, see http://www.acisweb.com.

The 2022 annual conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies was held online, May 30-June 1. For all information about past and future CAIS events, see https://www.canadianirishstudies.org.

Georgetown University’s Global Irish Studies Initiative presented a one-day symposium marking the centenary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. ‘Ulysses in the World’ took place on Sep. 10, 2022. Speakers included novelist Alice McDermott, Ambassador Daniel Mulhall, and profs. John McCourt, Barry McCrea, and Malcolm Sen.

The annual meeting of the Celtic Studies Association of North America was held online, March 31-April 3, 2022. For more information about CSANA see http://celtic.cmrs.ucla.edu/csana/

At the MLA convention held in Washington, DC, January 6-9, 2022, sessions were sponsored by ACIS, the Samuel Beckett Society, and the Celtic Literature group.

Journals
The main Irish Studies journals published in North America are the Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, Eire-Ireland, the James Joyce Quarterly, and New Hibernia Review.

Japan Report

In 2022, the activities of IASIL Japan continued to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. With travel to Japan still restricted, it was decided to hold the 38th annual conference online once again. To celebrate the centenary and the legacy of James Joyce’s masterpiece, the theme chosen was ‘Ulysses and Beyond’, and the guest speakers were the Joycean, John McCourt, and the novelist, Eimear McBride. The conference took place on the weekend of 8-9 October. On the first day, Eimear McBride gave a memorable, intense reading from A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, Strange Hotel, and Mouthpieces, a work inspired by her time as a fellow in the Beckett Archive at Reading. She answered questions afterwards from the online audience, for whom hearing work so challenging on the page read aloud by its author was a revelation. On the second day, John McCourt gave an engaging talk entitled ‘Ulysses at home, 1922-2022’, based on his book Consuming Joyce: 100 Years of Ulysses in Ireland, which offered an overview of the reception of Joyce’s book in Ireland.

There were a wide range of papers: on Frederic Jameson and Joyce, Joyce and Newman, on Seamus Deane, Sara Baume, Dion Boucicault, and Emma Donoghue. There were two symposiums. The first, ‘Silences and Silenced in Irish Writing’ and the second, ‘A Dangerous Book or a Love Story: Ulysses After a Hundred Years’ continued the exploration of the legacy of Joyce’s book. The conference was well-attended, with up to fifty participants at each session.

Our other major annual event is the publication of our journal. The 36th issue of the Journal of Irish Studies was published in October. The issue published Matthew Campbell’s outstanding lecture from our conference in 2021, ‘Yeatsian Reprisals’, which explored how both W.B. in ‘Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen’, and Jack Yeats in Singing ‘The Dark Rosaleen’, Croke Park responded to the violent events of November 1920. The issue also included refereed articles on Derek Mahon’s ‘The Snow Party’, on Louis MacNeice, and on John O’Mahony, as well as reviews of books about the letters of Tagore and James Cousins, books by David Clare on Irish Anglican Literature and Irish Women Playwrights, Angela Moorjani on Beckett and Buddhism, and two substantial books of essays in Japanese about Joyce’s Ulysses. There were also two appreciations, of Thomas Kinsella (Andrew Fitzsimons) and Brendan Kennelly (David Burleigh). This is the first issue edited by Brian Fox and with a new editorial board. We thank Brian and his team for their hard work in putting this issue together and for continuing the high standard of the journal.

The continued impact in Japan of the coronavirus pandemic meant that there were few Ireland-related events throughout most of 2022. We did, however, finally manage to hold the ceremony for the awarding to Mutsuo Takahashi the inaugural Seamus Heaney Award, postponed from April 2020. The event was hosted by the Embassy of Ireland, Japan and took place at the Ambassador’s residence in Tokyo on October 7. We were delighted that Christopher Heaney was able to travel from Ireland to present Mutsuo Takahashi with his award, and that the artist Richard Gorman, who created the specially commissioned art work for the award, could also make the journey to Japan. It was a memorable event: Christopher Heaney spoke of his father’s, and indeed his own, long relationship with Japan, and his fondness for the country and his many Japanese friends. Mutsuo Takahashi gave a moving speech, expressing his gratitude for the award, and spoke also about how his experience in Ireland had provided a renewal of poetic energy after a long period of silence. He also told of his own encounter with Seamus Heaney, at his home in Dublin, and how much that meeting had meant to him. IASIL Japan would like to thank the new Ambassador to Japan, Damien Cole, for hosting this event, and for his support of IASIL Japan. We also thank outgoing Ambassador Paul Kavanagh, for his initial and crucial support of the Seamus Heaney Award, Japan.

Nominations for the Seamus Heaney Award, Japan (2024), which recognises distinguished contribution to literary relations between Ireland and Japan for a work/body of work of outstanding literary merit; an outstanding work/body of work of translation and/or scholarship, are now open, and can be sent by email using the subject line ‘Seamus Heaney Award Japan Nomination’ to:
IASIL Japan Office: secretary@iasil.jp

or

Embassy of Ireland, Japan: TokyoEmbassy@dfa.ie

Other Countries Report

LATIN AMERICA (ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, MEXICO, CHILE & PERU), ASIA  (KOREA, CHINA & TAIWAN) AND AUSTRALIA 

Compiled by Laura P.Z. Izarra 

July 2022-June 2023 

LATIN AMERICA  

– The D.F.A. published its first Newsletter on Irish Culture in Latin  America and the Caribbean as part of its Strategy to 2025.   https://shorturl.at/axGQ0

– IX SILAS Conference. Moore Institute, NUI-Galway. June 21-23, 2023  

ARGENTINA 

1. UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA PAMPA/ CHAIR OF IRISH STUDIES AND  THE IRISH DIASPORA EDNA O’BRIEN AND COLUM McCANN (December 2021) – Maria Graciela Eliggi 

2022 

Events 

  • 29-30/09: XVII ABEI Symposium of Irish Studies in South America/ AEIS Symposium, at  USAL, Buenos Aires. Co organized by USP, USAL, UNLPam. 
  • October: A poem at midday: Irish poetry Reading and discussion cycle. Prof. Miriam  Germani and Enrique Basabe. 
  • 21/10: “Words that crossed oceans”. Dr. Carolina Amador Moreno (Universidad de  Extremadura, España; Universidad de Bergen, Noruega) in dialogue with Dr. Natalia F.  Muguiro (UNLPam, Argentina). “Corpus Linguistics and its application to studies of Irish  language and literature.”
  • 3-24/11: Series of lectures on Ulysses and its translations by renowned writers: Luis  Chitarroni, Marcelo Zabaloy, Lucas Petersen, Carlos Gamerro. 

Cultural Events: 

  • July- November: five monthly meetings of the Edna O`Brien-Colum McCann Chair of Irish  Studies and the Irish Diaspora Book Club. Readings included texts in Spanish from  contemporary Irish writer and Irish-Argentine writers. Prof. María Graciela Eliggi and Norma  Liliana Alfonso, coordinators. 
  • 10/09: lectures on Ulysses turns 100. By M.G. Eliggi, E. Conchez at Asociación Pampeana  de Cultura Inglesa. 
  • 3-4/11: Irish cinema and music with musician and film director Charlie O´Brien during his  tour in Argentina: Venues: Salón del Consejo Directivo de la Facultad de Ciencias Humanas  and Afra resto-bar respectively.  

2023 

Festivals and celebrations 

  • March 16-17 St Patrick`s celebration in Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Córdoba, Catamarca.  Celebrations organized by the Irish Embassy. Buenos Aires celebrates Ireland by Asociación  Almirante Brown, Buenos Aires. 
  • – Greening of Parque Luro Castle, La Pampa. 
  • – Alexis Mac Allister greets the Chair in La Pampa and the Embassy in Buenos Aires on  occasion of St. Patrick`s celebration (videos) 

Cultural events 

  • March-July-: five monthly meetings of the Edna O`Brien-Colum McCann Chair of Irish  Studies and the Irish Diaspora Book Club. Readings included texts in Spanish from  contemporary Irish writers and Irish-Argentine writers. Prof. María Graciela Eliggi and  Norma Liliana Alfonso, coordinators.  
  • 28/04: Feria Internacional del libro de Buenos Aires, Presentation of the Biography of Roger  Casement by Angus Mitchell. Translator Maria Graciela Eliggi. 
  • 6/07: Interviewing Emeritus Professor KULeuven Hedwig Schwall. In dialogue with  Dr. Natalia Muguiro, UNLPam (in person). Leuven, Belgium. 
  • Series of lectures with guest speakers: Justin Harman, Rolando Costa Picazo & Maria  Graciela Eliggi. 

* * * 

2. EXTRACURRICULAR CHAIR OF IRISH STUDIES (July 2015 – ) /  UNIVERSIDAD DEL SALVADOR, BUENOS AIRES 

– Paula Ortiz and Verónica Repetti https://catedrairlandausal.school.blog/ 

AEIS – ASOCIACIÓN DE ESTUDIOS IRLANDESES DEL SUR (27 October 2017 – )  Chair: Justin Harman https://asociaciondeestudiosirlandesesdelsur.wordpress.com/ Lectures Recordings on YouTube channel:  

2022 

Events 

  • 25/08: Virtual lecture on Brian Friel by María Yolanda Fernández Suárez; organized jointly  by the Irish Studies Chair and the AEIS (Asociación de Estudios Irlandeses del Sur) at  Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires.  
  • 29-30/09: Co-organization of the XVII Symposium of Irish Studies in South America with  ABEI and the Chairs of Irish Studies at the University of São Paulo and the National  University of La Pampa . 
  • 29/09: Denis Rafter (Irish director & actor) in “Amicus Nebrija” at USAL • 30/09: Charlie O’Brian (Irish musician & filmmaker): “Songs of the Irish in Latin America” at USAL. 

Extra-Curricular Course 

August-November: Diploma in Irish Studies by Dr. María Eugenia Criset & Prof. Viviana  P. Keegan. 

2023 

Events 

21-23/06: Participation at IX SILAS Conference at Moore Institute, NUI-Galway. Series of virtual lectures organized jointly by the Irish Studies Chair and the AEIS  (Asociación de Estudios Irlandeses del Sur). 

Award 

Granted to Prof. Viviana Keegan (senior researcher & head of the Irish Studies Diploma)  from the Society for Chidlren and Youth, for her article published at Journal IDEAS: https://p3.usal.edu.ar/index.php/ideas/article/view/5312 

Projects (in progress) 

• Digitization of Archives of Irish Migration to Argentina: The Southern Cross • “Becoming Argentine”: The construction of Irish identity from the diasporic community  press. The case of The Southern Cross in the period 1896-1910. 

BRAZIL 

Representative: Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos 

National Events 2022-2023: 

1/01-16/06/2022 – Ulysses100 through Brazilian Eyes – The Embassy of Ireland in Brasília  and the Consulate General of Ireland in São Paulo partnered with 18 universities across Brazil  to commission a mural of the interpretation of one chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses in each  institution.  https://dfa.ie/irish-embassy/brazil/news-and-events/newsarchive/launch-of-the-ulysses100- through-brazilian-eyes-competition-.html Online book: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/8c16a5375f.html#page/1

15/03-16/06/2023 – The Irish in Brazil – Exhibition / National Library in Rio de Janeiro  – tells the story of the Irish people and their descendants in Brazil and recognizes the  significant number of Irish writers whose works in translation have been hugely impactful in  the country. Promoted by the Consulate General of Ireland in São Paulo, the Embassy of  Ireland in Brasília, and the National Library; curated by Peter O’Neill and Beatriz Kopschitz  Bastos, with participation of Irish Studies academics as researchers and authors of panels.  https://bndigital.bn.gov.br/exposicoes/irlandeses-no-brasil/?lang=en

12/03 & 15/03: Patrick Dexter, promoted by the Embassy of Ireland in Brazil, at Teatro São  Pedro in São Paulo and Biblioteca Nacional in Rio de Janeiro. 

Bloomsday and St. Patrick’s Day were celebrated in several Brazilian cities and  universities.  

International Events 2023: 

  • 29-30/09: XVII ABEI Symposium of Irish Studies in South America / III AEIS  Symposium of Irish Studies / II CEEI-USAL Symposium of Irish Studies: “Commemoration  or Celebration? The Irish Revival One Century Later”. USAL- Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
  • 21/06 & 26/06 – Sreenings in Ireland: Secrets from Putumayo, based on the Amazon Journal  of Roger Casement, at Pálás Cinema, Galway & UCD Cinema, Dublin, with the presence of  the director Aurélio Michiles, actor Stephen Rea and historian Angus Mitchell, promoted by  the Embassy of Brazil in Dublin. Q&A Moderators: Mariana Bolfarine and Laura Izarra. 
  • 27/07 – EPIC Museum: “Brazil and the Irish Diaspora in Latin America” by Laura Izarra.  Promoted by the Embassy of Brazil in Dublin.  

1. ABEI – ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE ESTUDOS IRLANDESES

Chair: Mariana Bolfarine 

http://www.abeibrasil.org/ | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvpyI3DT7zkMy4RaKJGh2wA

2022 

Events: 

  • 29-30/09: XVII ABEI Symposium of Irish Studies in South America / III AEIS  Symposium of Irish Studies / II CEEI-USAL Symposium of Irish Studies: “Commemoration  or Celebration? The Irish Revival One Century Later” (USAL-Buenos Aires, Argentina). Online Webinars: 
  • 04/08: “Sereiras e Ciclopes em Dublin: Episódios XI e XII de Ulysses”, com Elisa Lima  Abrantes e Tarso Amaral. 
  • 05/10: “Brooklyn, de CólmTóibín, pela ótica dos estudos de gênero”, com Martha Julia  Martins (UFRR). 
  • 28/10: “Bram Stoker, um homem nas Fronteiras: Dracula e a questão racial no século XIX”,  com Evander Ruthieri da Silva (UNILA). 
  • 5/12: “Caminhos Noturnos, Drácula como vetor de Discursos Críticos”, com Dr. Daniel  Serravalle de Sá (UFSC)

Cultural Events: 

  • July-December: Online Book Club in Irish Studies, organized by Caroline Moreira  Eufrausino, Victor Augusto Pacheco, Camila Franco Batista, Mariana Bolfarine. ABEI. 
  • 30/09: Charlie O’Brien – Songs of the Irish in Latin America, presented by Brian Barthe, at  the XVII ABEI Symposium of Irish Studies in South America / III AEIS Symposium of Irish  Studies / II CEEI-USAL Symposium of Irish Studies (Buenos Aires). 
  • 30/09: Denis Rafter (Irish Actor & Director) – “Staging the Past”, at the XVII ABEI  Symposium of Irish Studies in South America / III AEIS Symposium of Irish Studies / II  CEEI-USAL Symposium of Irish Studies (Buenos Aires). 

Scholarship: 

● The MA Candidate from UFBA, Manoel Carlos Alves, was awarded the ESP Grant for a  Junior Researcher.  

2023 

Events: 

24/05-24/04: XII Forum of Irish Studies: As Novas Cores da Irlandesidade: Projeções do  Passado e Narrativas Contemporâneas (UFBA-Bahia, Brazil). 

Online webinars: 

31/03: “‘Reading-while-Walking’: Milkman (2018) como uma nomadologia do Conflito na  Irlanda do Norte”, with Dr Marcela Santos Brigida. 

26/05: “Dubliners de James Joyce”, com Victor Fermino dos Santos 

Fellowship: 

● Julia Alvares Campos was awarded the ABEI/Haddad Fellowship 2022–2023 at TCD. 

* * * 

2. W.B.YEATS CHAIR OF IRISH STUDIES/UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

Coordinator: Laura Izarra 

https://catedrawbyeats.fflch.usp.br/ |  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpnVMyEOW8W4svWxz53S0ng/videos

2022 

Events 

  • 25/08-30/11: ONLINE Poesia ao Meio Dia/ Poetry at Midday (every last Wednesday of the  month) with Susan Hoy in dialogue with Irish poets 
  • 30/08: “Field Day Theatre Company: a Dialogue with Stephen Rea and Jane Ohlmeyer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ble-NZfZCpM 
  • 1/09: “Dismantling Colonial Hierarchies During the Amazon Rubber Boom”, Angus  Mitchell. 
  • 27-30/09: XVII Symposium of Irish Studies in South America: “Commemoration or  Celebration? The Irish Revival One Century Later”. Co-organization with ABEI & AEIS. All  the sessions can be accessed at (984views): https://www.youtube.com/@USALLenguasModernas/streams.
  • 6 & 7/10: “Authorial Multiplicities: The Novels by Banville, Black and Several Other  Twins (2014-2022), & “Foster (2010) and Small Things Like These (2021): Claire  Keegan’s Novellas as Explorations of Family Relationships, Institutional Secrets and the Role of Nature in the Dynamics of Trauma and Recovery”, Aurora Piñeiro  (UNAM). 

Graduate Course 

13-30/08: “Ireland, Empire and the Early Modern World”, Jane Ohlmeyer (TCD) https://catedrawbyeats.fflch.usp.br/curso-da-pos-graduacao-ireland-empire-and-early-modern world 

Screenings 

  • 31/08: “Segredos do Putumayo” followed by Q&A with Director Aurélio Michiles &  historian Angus Mitchell. “Thinking Brazil through Cinema”: PRCEU (USP): Cinema Pensa  o Brasil. Cinusp Eco21/ USP. 
  • 1/09: Première Segredos do Putumayo with Stephen Rea. “Amazonia” at CineSesc, São  Paulo. https://catedrawbyeats.fflch.usp.br/segredos-do-putumayo-no-cinesesc 

Cultural Events 

31/08: Inauguration of Ireland Corner at USP 

Theatre Award 

6/09: Ulysses: Éolo. Directed by Thiago Neri. 28o.Prêmio Nascente, Artes Cênicas Direction. 

Scholarships 

  • WB Yeats Chair’s Scholarship for IASIL’s Conference 2022: Michelle Andressa Alvarenga  de Souza (PhD/USP). (July 2022). 
  • FAPESP/BEPE 2022 (March- November, 8 months): Victor Augusto Pacheco (PhD/USP).  University of Limerick. Co-supervisor: Tina O’Toole. 
  • USP/AUCANI 2022 (July 2022): Esther Gazzola Borges (PhD/USP). University of  Limerick. Co-supervisors: Angela Farrell and Tina O’Toole. 

2023 

Events 

Graduate Course 

13-22/03: “A Vision of Late Yeats” by Margaret Harper (University of Limerick). https://catedrawbyeats.fflch.usp.br/node/165

Extra Mural Course 

17/03 – 21/04: James Joyce, professor: representações da educação em Ulysses, by PhD  Victor Fermino (Faculty of Education/USP). 

Cinema: National & International Awards 

  • 8/02: APCA- Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte. 1st prize for Direction: Segredos do  Putumayo.  
  • 05/04: 49º Festival SESC Melhores Filmes. Best National Documentary: Segredos do  Putumayo.  
  • 14/05: ABC- Associação Brasileira de Cinematografia for best photography. Segredos do Putumayo.  
  • 2/05: Nice International Film Festival: Public Award Secrets from Putumayo.

Projects in progress by the Alliance of Chairs of Irish Studies in Latin America-DFA * * * 

3. NÚCLEO DE ESTUDOS IRLANDESES – NEI / UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE  SANTA CATARINA – Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos 

2022 

Event: 

8-9/10 – VI Jornada do Núcleo de Estudos Irandeses da UFSC – “Irish Modersisms”, with  Professors Lucy Collins and Paige Reynolds, and writer Eimear McBride. 

Cultural Event: 

November – Launch of the book and DVD Maeve, by Pat Murphy, edited by Beatriz  Kopschitz Bastos and Lance Pettitt (EDUFSC), in Florianópolis and São Paulo, in partnership  with the Consulate General in São Paulo.  

2023 

Event: 

29/05 – NEI Digital Round Table – “The Theatre and Cinema of Martin McDonagh”, with  Patrick Lonergan, Eamonn Jordan, Alinne Fernandes and Beatriz Kopschitz Bastos. https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?ei=UTF 8&q=ppgi+ufsc+youtube#id=1&vid=a775ae32e7dce9b185cd40626421825a&action=click 

Courses

  • March-June: “Physical Disabilities in Irish Theatre”, taught by Dr. Beatriz Kopschitz  Bastos, at the Post-graduate Programme in English at UFSC. 
  • March-April: “Irish and British Radio Drama”, taught by Dr. Alinne Fernandes as invited  lecturer at the Post-graduate Programme in Creative Writing at PUC-RS.  

Fellowships and Scholarships: 

  • Gabriela Terezinha Paulo: 3-month research scholarship granted by Mary Immaculate  College, in Limerick, with Dr Deirdre Flynn.  
  • Antônia Elizangela de Morais Gehin: CAPES PrInt Fellowship – 6-month research period at Trinity College Dublin with Professor Chris Morash.

* * * 

4. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE OURO PRETO – Maria Rita Drumond Viana 

2023 

Cultural events:  

  • Bloomsday 2023 at UFOP 
  • Theatrical piece based on “The Oxen of the Sun” at Cine Vila Rica, Ouro Preto.

* * * 

5. UNIVERSIDADE DE BRASÍLIA – Michelle Andressa Alvarenga de Souza 

2023 

Event:  

13-15/02: “Seminar on Irish Literature: sexuality and race in contemporaneity” by Michelle  A. Alvarenga de Souza, Esther Gazzola Borges and Victor Augusto Pacheco. 

* * * 

6. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO PARANÁ – Luci Collin  

2023 

Project Translation of Mary O’Donnell’s poetry by Luci Collin. 

* * * 

7. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DA BAHIA – Noélia Borges 

2022 

22/11: Project concluded: Translation of Correspondences. An anthology. Coordinator:  Noélia Borges. Participants: Sanio Santos, Lara Rebeca, Pedro Lima, Rafael Magalhaes,  Manoel Carlos Alves, Rosilaine Costa sob a supervisão de Noelia Borges 

2023 

Events: 

  • March: St. Patrick’s Day. Online lecture by Syntia Beatrice Costa (UFO)
  • April: XII Jornada de estudos irlandeses. Speakers: Sean Hoy (Embaixador da Irlanda),  Alessandra Rigonato (USP), Noelia Borges (UFBA), Pedro Alaim (UFBA), Paterson Franco  (UFBA)Victor Pacheco (USP), Julia Gomes, Daniela Steele, Julia Zogbi e Beatriz Calixto  (UFBA) 
  • Bloomsday 2023: Inês Saber (Molly Bloom) e Lara Rebeca Santa Barbara (Estudos  Irlandeses na Universidade de Lisboa).

* * * 

8. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE TOCANTINS – Rejane de Souza Ferreira 

2022  

Event: 

20/10: “A Irlanda e o Tocantins rompendo fronteiras” 

* * * 

9. THEATRE 

Bernard Shaw’s “The Doctor’s Dilemma”. Premiered on 20 January, São Paulo, and staged  until 30 April 2023. Venue: MASP (Museum of Art of São Paulo). Producer: Rosalie R.  Haddad. 

10. OTHER EVENTS, CONFERENCES, INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 

Brazilian scholars took part in national and international events and conferences, as speakers,  organizers and members of executive boards, and in several advisory boards of national and  international institutions and publications.  

CHILE & PERU 

2022 &2023 Activities organized by the Embassy of Ireland in Chile and Peru. https://shorturl.at/axGQ0 

MEXICO  

EAVAN BOLAND-ANNE ENRIGHT IRISH STUDIES CHAIR/ NATIONAL  AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO – Aurora Piñeiro and Mario Murgia 

The activities are jointly organised with the Irish Embassy in Mexico: 

2022 

Events 

26/10: Irish Studies Chair: In-person Inauguration Ceremony, with the  participation of writer Anne Enright. “Trees Grow from the Inside” by Anne  Enright. School of Philosophy and Literature, UNAM. 

27/10 Master class: “Reading Joyce with Rooney and McBride” by Anne  Enright. School of Philosophy and Literature, UNAM.

2023 

Events 

6/03: A Conversation with Catherine Heaney: Her Works and Seamus Heaney’s  Legacy. School of Philosophy and Literature, UNAM. 

16/06: Bloomsday 2023: Tejer y traducir a Joyce. Featured Artist: Ximena Pérez  Grobet, “Reading Finnegans Wake”- Art Book Exhibition and Talk, and Professor  Luz Aurora Pimentel, “On the Translation of Molly Bloom’s Monologue”- Audio  and Digital Archives Exhibition and Talk. Irish Embassy Chancery, Mexico City.  

New Irish Studies Chair Website: https://www.estudiosirlandeses.com/ ______________________________________________________________ 

ASIA: KOREA, CHINA & TAIWAN 

Representative: Youngmin Kim 

SOUTH KOREA – Youngmin Kim 

2022 

Events 

 15-16/10 The 2022 IYS (International Yeats Society) Online Annual Conference  Theme: “New Directions in Yeats Studies: Memory, Translation, and Digital Technology” Hosted and Sponsored by: The Yeats Society of Korea, The Embassy of Ireland to Republic of  Korea, The Embassy of Ireland to the US, IASIL, International Yeats Society, National Foundation  of Korea. Organized by Youngmin Kim. Keynote speakers: Jerome McGann; Marjorie Perloff; Rob  Doggett, John McCourt. Scholars of Irish Studies, including Yeats scholars, were invited.

2023 

Events 

 17/06: The 2023 James Joyce Hybrid International Conference 

 Theme: Joyce, Postnationalism and Beyond. Hosted and sponsored by James Joyce Society of Korea 

* * * 

CHINA Seamus Feng, Director of Irish Studies Centre at Shanghai University of  International Business and Economics (SUIBE), Co-coordinator of National Alliance for  the Development of Irish Studies in China 

2022 

Events 

  • 18/09: Online Symposium on New Trends of Irish Studies from the Perspective of Region  and Country-specific Studies. Co-hosted by Irish Studies Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies  University, Irish Studies Centre at Shanghai University of International Business and  Economics, Irish Studies Centre at Dalian University of Foreign Languages, Irish Studies  Centre at Hebei Finance University and Irish Studies Centre at Henan University of Animal  Husbandry and Economy. 
  • 1-8/11: Series of online lectures. Guest speakers: Professor LIU Yan (School of Culture  and Communication at Beijing International Studies); LI Yuan (Guangdong University of  Foreign Studies); ZHANG Qin (Sichuan University); FU Hao (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Irish Studies Centre of SUIBE.  

* * * 

TAIWAN – Wei H. Kao, Chair of the National Taiwan University; Chair of Irish Studies  Association, Taiwan 

2022 

Events 

  • 22/10 & 10/12: Series of Lectures. Guest speakers: Enrico Terrinoni ( Università per  Stranieri di Perugia, Italy); Pei-Jen Wu (National Cheng-chi University) 
  • 19/11: “Irish Literary Studies: East and West.” Guest Speakers: Declan Kiberd (University of Notre Dame, USA); Enrico Terrinoni (Università per Stranieri di Perugia,  Italy); Marco Sonzogni (Victorian University of Wellington, New Zealand). 

2023 

Events 

  • 18/03, 15/07 & 12/08: Series of Lectures. Guest speakers Chi-Fang Chi (National Tsing  Hwa University); Yi-Jen Chen (Translator); Lâu Îng-sîng (Translator). 
  • 10/08: “Irish Studies Seminar in Taiwan” at National Sun Yat-sen University.

YouTube Channel for past events: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpr_dXmU2xZK6S5xLtVdZQ

______________________________________________________________

AUSTRALIA 

Representative: Ronan McDonald  

2022 

Events 

  • Ulysses Centenary – Bloomsday in Melbourne 
  • Bloomsday’s first feature film, Love’s Bitter Mystery 
  • A new play – Yes I will Yes! (a free adaptation of Penelope) 
  • A Concert – Love’s Old Sweet Songs, celebrating the Joyce of Music 
  • Two dinners and three intensive courses 

22/11 Symposium: “Rethinking Transnational Ireland” at Newman College, University of  Melbourne. Speakers: Ronan McDonald, Katherine Bode, Maggie Nolan, Jeremy George, Jimmy  Wintermute, Maebh Long, Malcolm Campbell, Matthew Ryan, Chris Murray, Chris Morash, Chris  Watson, Patrick O’Farrell, Val Noone 

Seminars 

  • 19/07: at 6:30pm (AEST), 9:30am (GMT). Dr Tara McEvoy, Queen’s University, Belfast.  Seamus Heaney in Australia 
  • 23/08: at 6:30pm (AEST), 9:30am (GMT). Dr Matthew Grubits, Charles Sturt University.  The Crisis of Captain Moonlite: Andrew George Scott in Australia 
  • 13/09: at 6:30pm (AEST), 9:30am (GMT). Dr Damian Gleeson, 2022 Australian Religious  History Fellow, SLNSW. Irish convicts and penal Catholicism: New evidence from the  Therry Collection 
  • 11/10: at 4:30pm (AEDT), 5:30am (GMT). Rhys Ryan, 2022 Russell Beedles Performing  Arts Fellow SLV. Na Trí Céilithe: Revisiting the dances of Melbourne’s Gaelic concerts in  the early twentieth century 

Fellowships 

2022: Siobhan Aiken (Queen’s University Belfast) 

Australian legacies of the Irish Civil War (1922-23). 

2023 

Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar – monthly in term.  

Many MISS now delivered on Zoom as well as in person and recorded. https://isaanz.org/irish-studies-association-of-australia-and-new-zealand/events/miss-seminars/

  • 7/02: at 4:30pm (AEDT), 5:30am (GMT). Prof Peter Gray and A/Prof Emily Mark Fitzgerald O’Donnell Visiting Fellows in Irish Studies. The Life & Work of Count  Paul Strzelecki (1797-1873): Australian Explorer and Irish Humanitarian
  • 18/04: at 4:30pm (AEST), 7:30am (GMT). Prof. Dianne Hall and Loretta Dynan,  Victoria University, Melbourne. Going Home: Returning to Ireland from Australia,  1850-1925 
  • 9/05: at 4:30pm (AEST), 7:30am (GMT). Prof. Stephen Regan, Durham University  and University of Melbourne. W. B. Yeats: Culture and Politics in 1921 

Courses 

Irish literary studies courses at University of Melbourne, Australian Catholic University, Monash 

New Centres, websites 

https://isaanz.org/  | https://aislingsociety.org.au/

Fellowships 

The O’Donnell Fellowship, held annually at Newman College, University of Melbourne.  • 2023: Dr Emily Mark-Fitzgerald (University College Dublin) 

How mass audiences, in Ireland and across the Irish migrant diaspora, began to ‘see’ and  understand Irish poverty, welfare and reform in new ways between 1839 and 1909, owing  to newly mobile and migrating visual technologies. 

2023: Professor Peter Gray (Queen’s University Belfast) 

Charles Gavan Duffy and the politics of land reform in Victoria 1855-80. 

Research Grant 

  • Australian Research Council. “Close Relations: Irishness in Australian Literature” Grant number: DP230101835 | Funding period: 2023 – 2025 
  • Chief Investigators: Professors Ronan McDonald (University of Melbourne), Cat Bode (ANU),  Maggie Nolan (University of Queensland)