Other literary matters
Irish studies at NUIG
The American Conference of Irish Studies is being held in conjunction with the Second Galway Conference of Irish Studies at NUI Galway from June 10th to 13th. Held over four days, the dean of arts at NUIG, Kevin Barry described it as bringing “together momentarily in one place the passion and attentiveness to displacement that marks Irish studies”.
Speakers from a dozen countries, representing over 100 universities, will present papers, each examining themes relating to contemporary Irish culture and society. The conference is free and open to the public.
The opening session will feature a discussion on inward migration to Ireland over the past decade chaired by Donncha O’Connell, former director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and a member of the university’s law school. Also on the panel will be Des Geraghty, president of Siptu from 1994 to 2002; Denise Charlton, chief executive of the Immigration Council of Ireland and Chinedu Onyejelem, editor of Metro Éireann. There will also be public interviews with TK Whitaker, Bernadette McAliskey, and Cardinal Cahal Daly.
Other events include the launch of the Siobhán McKenna Collection at the James Hardiman Library and evening readings from local and visiting writers including Eamonn Wall, Alan Jude Moore, Kevin Higgins and Patricia Burke Brogan, co-ordinated by the Over the Edge literary organisation.
For more see nuigalway.ie/cis
Remembering Berlin
Philosopher and political thinker Isaiah Berlin, the second volume of whose letters has just been published by Chatto and Windus to coincide with the centenary of his birth this year, will be commemorated next week in his birthplace, Riga, the capital of Latvia.
Speakers at the commemorative event, which opens on Monday, June 1st and runs until Saturday, June 6th, include Ian Buruma, Justin Cartright, Ronald Dworkin, Timothy Garton Ash and Jon Stallworthy.
McGahern seminar
The third John McGahern International Seminar will take place from July 23rd to 25th. Speakers at the event, which is run by the National University of Ireland, Galway and Leitrim County Council, include Kevin Whelan, Denis Sampson and Mike Cronin and, as in previous years, guided visits to John McGahern’s home places in Aughawillan, Ballinamore and Mohill, Co Leitrim and Cootehall, Co Roscommon, will also be on the agenda.
As well as the public seminar, the university holds the second intensive summer school on McGahern’s work and its contexts from July 25th to August 1st. The summer school, which is designed for advanced level students and researchers who are interested in the writings of McGahern, was last year attended by students from Slovakia, the US and England, as well as Ireland.
Leitrim arts officer, Caoimhín Corrigan, says that while retaining its central focus on the work of McGahern, the school’s engagement this year with themes of the heroic – from the local, to the universal taking account also of the 125th anniversary of the GAA – is an expression of the breadth of vision that Leitrim County Council and the university share for this annual event.
The summer school will take place at the County Library, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim and participants include Belinda McKeon, Frank Shovlin and Mike McCormack.
For more visit the website nuigalway.ie/iss