Call for Papers: The Irish Question

Deadline for Abstracts: March 15, 2008
The Radical History Review seeks submissions for an issue that will explore the intellectual, historical and political implications of the "Irish Question" over the past eight centuries.

We depart from the premise that the national question and its resolution (or not) in Ireland is not only a major topic in Irish and British Imperial history, but one with fundamental implications for the evolution of the modern world, and the histories of colonialism and postcolonialism. We envision contributions focused on Ireland, first as a colony and then partitioned into two states after 1922, and the attendant "Irish diaspora" in England, Canada, the United States, and beyond. However, the editors do not assume that the Irish Question is restricted to people of Irish descent or the countries they inhabit: we are equally interested in the relationship of Ireland's national struggle to Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The issue will seek to explore a series of interlocking questions, including but not limited to:

1. Is Ireland a founding site of European imperialism and anti-imperial resistance, as well as post-colonialism? What are the implications for European or world history of moving the Third back into the First World?
2. How has the rise of a Revisionist historiography challenging the nationalist narrative paralleled Ireland's move away from postcolonial dependency since the 1970s? What is its significance for historians outside of Ireland? What does it mean to deny the existence of a national revolution in Ireland?
3. What are the implications of the process beginning in the mid-nineteenth century whereby Ireland and Irishness was configured as exclusively Catholic? How has that identity played out on the world stage-is it equally relevant in all cases?
4. Why is "race" so rarely mentioned inside Irish history when the Irish as immigrants are so emphatically raced once they leave Ireland, whether as "becoming white" or not-quite-white? Does Ireland occupy a distinctive place in whiteness studies, or should it?
5. Is it useful or accurate to assert an "Irish Diaspora?" What are the implications of this particular form of diasporic studies?
6. How have the Irish, whether in Ireland or abroad, appropriated transnational forms of popular culture like soul and later hip-hop?
7. How influential has the Irish version of cultural nationalism been in the larger world? Can we link De Valera with Garvey and Ben Gurion, or is the Ireland sui generis, given the role of the Catholic Church?
8. How has Irish Republicanism been represented in popular and mass culture, in different parts of the world? Are these tropes and images similar to those assigned to other movements committed to armed struggle by any means necessary, or distinctively different?
9. What is the Irish Left, alongside or outside of Irish republicanism? Are its problems relevant to the problem of class politics in other national liberation struggles?
10. How has Irish women's history and Irish feminism recast the National Question?
11. Are there distinctive Irish and/or Irish American discourses of sexuality and queerness-are they similar or different, and what role does demography play in Ireland's distinctive history of sexual repression?

Though the RHR continues to publish monographic articles, we also invite Reflections, Interventions, roundtables, interviews, and reviews that go beyond books to look at popular historical representations, whether visual, cinematic, or textual. Potential contributors are encouraged to look at recent issues for examples of these non-traditional forms of scholarship.
Submissions are due by March 15, 2008 and should be submitted electronically, as an attachment, to rhr@igc.org with "Issue 104 submission" in the subject line. For artwork, please send images as high resolution digital files (each image as a separate file). For preliminary e-mail inquiries, please include "Issue 104" in the subject line. Those articles selected for publication after the peer review process will be included in issue 104 of the Radical History Review, scheduled to appear in Spring 2009.

Email: rhr@igc.org

Gaelic Football in Boston

Paul McCarthy writes:
I'm secretary and PRO of a local gaelic football club here in Boston called Christophers. The Christophers club is one of the oldest in existence in the Boston area with a long a prestiguous history. Up to now the existence of the club has relied heavily on Irish people immigrating to the Boston area, but due to the changing times with the booming Irish Economy fewer people are immigrating, thus forcing us as a club to adopt if we are to remain in existence.

The future of sustaining our Gaelic games here in the US is to try to get more Americans involved in the sport, and this is where I am seeking your help.

Is there any forum in Boston College through whom I can get the word out to anyone who is interested in joining our club as an officer or a player?

Here is a url that explains the history of the game:
http://www.gaa.ie/page/all_about_football.html

Please contact paul_mccarthy_@hotmail.com

Tommy Peoples in Shirley, MA

Tommy Peoples will be at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley, MA on
Friday, April 27th.

Traditional Irish Music Workshop, 7:00 pm $20
Concert 9: pm $15 and Session 10:30pm
with Tommy Peoples

(if you sign up in advance for the workshop and concert - $30)

The workshop is open to all traditional melody instruments and following the performance we will join him for a great session.

Tommy Peoples is one of the most renowned fiddlers in Irish traditional circles today, and a prime exponent of the Donegal style of fiddling, a technical master as well as powerful musician. Peoples was born in the 1948 in St. Johnston, Co. Donegal, and learned fiddle, in the
distinctive Donegal style from an early age. He joined the famous Kilfenora Band for a while and recorded with them in the sixties, as well as marrying the daughter of their famous pianist, Kitty Linnane. He joined the traditional scene in Dublin in the seventies, playing with the likes of Matt Molloy, Paddy Keenan and Liam O'Flynn. For a while he played in the pioneering but short-lived group 1691, and joined the famous Bothy Band in late 1975, replacing Paddy Glackin as the band turned professional. He left the Bothies in '76, after the release of their first album, and was replaced by Kevin Burke. He recorded a number of albums with many other musicians in the late seventies, the best known of which is probably the Molloy-Peoples-Brady album. He now lives around Kilfenora, Co. Clare, and continues to play locally. His best regarded albums are the Molloy/ Peoples/ Brady album, the first Bothy Band album, and probably The High Part of the Road, though his solo albums have many fans, and have influenced many of the younger generation of fiddle players.

History Studies--University of Limerick History Society Journal

Closing date for submissions August 3, 2007

The editors of History Studies invite the submission of papers for inclusion in volume eight.

History Studies is the journal of the University of Limerick History Society and is jointly produced with the Department of History, University of Limerick. The journal is refereed by a panel of distinguished historians and is an established periodical in the field of historical scholarship.

Papers can focus on any aspect of history and should be no more than 5,000 words in length. Papers can be posted as an email attachment to the address below.

For details in relation to style sheet or back issues of History Studies please contact conor.reidy@ul.ie.

Yahoo! group established for the study of the Ros Muc dialect

This is in from Éamon Jeffers:

"A group has been set up here to study Caint Ros Muc, the book and recordings of the Ros Muc dialect that were made back in the 60s. They contain really interesting stories, and we'll have the chance to practice our spoken Irish – both listening and speaking. There's a lovely natural rhythm to the Irish in the recordings, and every word is transcribed in the book.

"We'll be working as a team – more pleasing than working on your own, of course. The group would be suitable for anyone who has already read Learning Irish, or a similar course. But there's no need to be fluent. If our Irish is a bit clumsy, if we can't easily understand spoken Irish, if we speak Irish with some awful accent, then we hope to fix those problems by working together.

"If you're interested, or if you can help us, then you'll be welcome."

Louis Macneice: Centenary Conference And Celebration: September 2007

Deadline for abstracts: May 31, 2007

The poet Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) was born in Belfast on 12 September 1907. He is central to the history of modern poetry in Ireland and Britain. His life and work also exemplify the complexity of literary, cultural and political intercourse between Ireland and Britain during the twentieth century. In September 2007 leading critics and poets will gather in Belfast to explore and celebrate his achievement. They include: Jonathan Allison, Simon Armitage, Terence Brown, Neil Corcoran, Valentine Cunningham, Paul Farley, Michael Longley, Peter McDonald, Medbh McGuckian, Derek Mahon, Sinead Morrissey, Paul Muldoon, Don Paterson, Jon Stallworthy and Clair Wills. Papers are invited on MacNeice's poetry, prose and plays; his place in modern poetry and relation to Modernism; his literary, cultural and political contexts in Ireland and Britain; his relation to precursors such as W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot; his relation to contemporaries such as W.H. Auden; his influence on later poets; his intellectual world; his literary criticism; his role as a broadcaster. To propose a paper (time limit: 20 minutes), please send a 200-word summary and a short biography to Dr Leontia Flynn l.flynn@qub.ac.uk. For general enquiries, contact Professor Edna Longley e.longley@qub.ac.uk. For further information see the Seamus Heaney Centre website where details of the conference will be updated as appropriate.

Associating Ireland: 2007 ACIS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

Deadline for Abstracts: June 15, 2007

Whether through religious, political, athletic, linguistic, or national venues, Ireland and Irish identity are consistently positioned within a network of assumptions and associations. We invite papers from historical, literary, religious, and other perspectives that engage with the concept of association and Ireland. For a complete list of topics or other information please email sullivkp@lemoyne.edu.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Alvin Jackson of the University of Edinburgh and Dr. Kathryn Conrad of the University of Kansas have agreed to serve as keynote speakers for the conference.

Abstracts can be sent to: Professor Kate Costello-Sullivan
Le Moyne College
1419 Salt Springs Road
Syracuse, NY 13214
sullivkp@lemoyne.edu

Louvain Summer School

As part of the Louvain 400 celebrations, a Summer School will be held in St Anthony’s College, now the Louvain Institute for Ireland in Europe from 21 to 25 May 2007.

The focus of the Summer School will be the contribution of the Irish in Europe during the seventeenth century. Topics for discussion will include Irish cultural identity, the foundation of St Anthony’s College, Louvain, the Irish Colleges in Europe, the writing of Irish history, the great Irish Franciscans project (including the compilation of the Annals of the Four Masters) and the state of Ireland in the 17th century.

Louvain 400 is part of the national celebration of Shared Histories which will also commemorate the Flight of the Earls in 1607 and the death in 1657 of the eminent Irish Franciscan Luke Wadding, founder of St Isidore’s College in Rome.
For further information see www.louvain400.eu.

Rare Book and Manuscript Internship

Scholarship Opportunity at John J. Burns Library

Sponsored by the
Bookbuilders of Boston
$6,000 Scholarship*
Fall & Spring Terms 2007-2008


Internship Includes:
3 credit hours (total)
Readings and Research, EN599 or EN899
(Note: tuition for EN899 is not included.)

10 hours per week, 30 weeks total,
of regularly scheduled work in the Burns Library
on approved assignments relating to library collections.

Instructors and Subjects Include:

Robert K. O’Neill, Ph.D., Burns Librarian, Burns Library:
The History of the Book
David E. Horn, Head, Archives and Manuscripts, Burns Library:
Processing a Collection
Robert Bruns, Senior Reference Librarian, Burns Library:
The Book Trade
Mark Esser, Conservator, Burns Library:
Preserving a Collection

Applicants:
Please send a letter of application, resume, and three references to:
Robert K. O’Neill, Ph.D., Burns Librarian,
John J. Burns Library; phone 617-552-3282; oneillro@bc.edu

Applications received after April 25, 2007 may not be given full consideration.

Please note that this scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students of Boston College who are interested in library or archives work or in any aspect of publishing.
For further information contact David Horn, 617-552-3698 or horndc@bc.edu.

* Amount subject to change; offer of internship subject to availability.

Alumni Accomplishments: Joe Lennon

Seminar: Irish Orientalism
April 13, 2007
Jenks Honors Library, 2:00 pm
Joseph Lennon earned his MA from the Boston College Irish Studies Program in 1996. Since then, he has published widely on Irish, Indian, and British literature and culture. His book, Irish Orientalism: A Literary and Intellectual History (Syracuse University Press, 2004), was awarded the Donald J. Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book by the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS). Irish Orientalism has also drawn high praise from other eminent scholars; Edward Said calls is a “fascinating study” and Stephen Howe characterizes it as “undoubtedly the fullest, most detailed and perceptive analysis of these themes yet to have been attempted.” Lennon earned his MA from Boston College and his PhD at the University of Connecticut in 2000, and is currently Associate Professor of English at Manhattan College. He is also the poetry editor of The Recorder, the journal of the American Irish Historical Society.

On Broadway: A Hometown Film

''On Broadway," the Boston-Irish-American-themed independent movie, is playing on April 26th and 29th at the Boston Independent Film Festival. The cast includes Jamaica Plain's Joey McIntyre, who stars as a carpenter and playwright who stages a show in the back of a local Irish pub.
Joining McIntyre are ''Saturday Night Live" actor and Burlington native Amy Poehler (BC '93) and her husband, Will Arnett, of the late ''Arrested Development". The BC connections don't stop with Amy Poehler; director Dave McLaughlin is a 1995 grad, producer Kris Meyer and assistant director Greg Smith represent the classes of 91 and 95 respectively, and executive producers Henry and Donna Bertolon's son John is in his first year at BC.
The film, which is set in Jamaica Plain, will be shot by LA-based cinematographer and South Boston native Terrence Hayes.

Event listing & tickets

An article on the film from Boston College Magazine

Is Boston becoming "less Irish"? And what does that even mean?

Reporter Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe recently wrote a pair of articles examining the ebbing tide of Irish immigrants to Boston and the growing number of Irish nationals now living in Boston who are deciding to move back to Ireland. He cited a post-9/11 unwillingness on the part of local police and immigration officials to "look the other way", a booming economy at home, and a perception that Americans are now less welcoming to Irish immigrants than ever.

What would a "less Irish" Boston look like?

March 18, 2007
Boom times, crackdown slow emerald wave

March 19, 2007
Going full circle: Native land's new prosperity has many reversing their exodus

Irish Studies at UMass Boston

The Irish Studies Program at UMass Boston is an interdisciplinary program of study designed to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to study Irish and Irish-American culture, primarily through literature and history. Course offerings cover major aspects of Irish culture from ancient times to the present.

A two-course sequence, Early Irish Literature and Irish Literature, provides students with an overview of Irish literature and the society that produced it from the 6th century to the middle of the 20th century. Study of Irish history from the 17th century to the present links old Ireland and new. Study of the development of Ireland in the 20th century focuses on the social and political upheaval surrounding the uprising of 1916, partition, civil war, the gradual emergence of an independent Irish Republic and the ongoing political turbulence centered in Northern Ireland.

Courses on James Joyce and William Butler Yeats focus on the contributions to world literature of Ireland's two most noted writers. Courses on the Irish short story and the modern Irish novel explore the mastery of particular literary forms by Irish writers. Study of recent Irish writing examines the continuing literary achievement in Ireland, both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic. Study of the Irish presence in America explores the contribution of this major immigrant group to the literature, the politics, and the culture of the United States. Special topics courses offered occasionally -- on Irish drama, on Irish poetry, on Irish women writers -- provide additional opportunity for students to investigate evolving artistic, social, and cultural concerns of the Irish people.


Contact Irish Studies Director Thomas O'Grady at thomas.ogrady@umb.edu for more information.

Cuala Press Slideshow from @BC

Founded in 1902 by W.B. Yeats's sisters Elizabeth and Susan, the Cuala Press was intended as a showcase for the writers of the Irish Literary Revival and published the work of John Millington Synge, Lady Gregory, W.B. Yeats, among others.
Among the works produced by Cuala was a series of 153 hand-colored Christmas cards, 15 of which are featured in a slideshow on the @BC website. They are drawn from Boston College’s extensive Irish Collection at the John J. Burns Library, which includes many Cuala works—from limited-edition booklets and art prints, to bookplates, proofs, and misprinted pages.

@BC is a website for multimedia productions that illuminate Boston College and address its institutional themes and concerns. @BC is created and developed by staff of the Office of Marketing Communications, which also produces, among many other projects, Boston College Magazine, a quarterly publication, and Boston College Front Row—where viewers may stream video recordings of Irish Studies lectures and events.

Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre (WERRC)

University College Dublin
School of Social Justice
Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre (WERRC)

Located in the School of Social Justice at UCD, WERRC is one of the leading Women’s Studies centres in Europe with a commitment to making a difference through transformative feminist scholarship, research, teaching, outreach and networking activities.

TEACHING
WERRC offers a full range of degree programmes and applications are invited for admission to the following programmes on a full-time or part-time basis:

• Graduate Diploma in Women’s Studies
• MA in Women’s Studies
• MLitt/PhD in Women’s Studies

WERRC offers a wide range of courses, with particular focus on the following:
Theories and Politics of Feminism; Gender, Equality and Public Policy; Feminist Research Methodologies; Gender and Globalisation; Irish Literary Cultures and Histories; Lifelong Learning and Adult Education; Women in the Community and Voluntary Sector; Lesbian and Queer Theory and Politics

Students are accepted from many disciplines, backgrounds and countries, and mature and ‘returning’ students are encouraged to apply.

Graduates from these programmes have progressed to work in the public and private sectors of Irish society; international organisations and NGOs; government departments and agencies; political parties; women’s organisations and charities; educational institutions; adult education; media; legal profession; health sector.

Lecture: "The Role of Women in the Treaty Debates and Irish Civil War"

Date: Monday, April 23, 2007
Location: Connolly House, 4:00 pm
Professor Jason Knirck of Central Washington University will speak on "The Role of Women in the Treaty Debates and Irish Civil War" on April 23, 2007 at Connolly House on BC's Chestnut Hill campus. He will be substituting for Professor Senia Paseta who has been compelled by personal circumstances to withdraw from this year's lecture series.

Professor Knirck is the author of Imagining Ireland's Independence: The Debates over the Anglo-Irish Treaty (Boulder: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006) and Women of the Dáil: Republicanism and the Anglo-Irish Treaty (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2006).

Irish Colloquium

This Saturday sees the return of the Boston College Irish Studies Colloquium in Connolly House, with over thirty faculty from a dozen local colleges discussing literature, history, music and the visual arts. The colloquium has a broad focus with wide appeal: expect presentations on, for example, Yeats, Joyce, Bowen, Heaney, on recent historicism, the authenticity of modernism, and contemporary visual art. In addition, Vera Kreilkamp, editor of Éire-Ireland, will answer questions on publishing in Irish journals today, and John Paul Riquelme will bring along his second pass proofs of his forthcoming edition of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The main speaker is historian L. Perry Curtis Jr. More information from Joe Nugent, nugentjf@bc.edu, or by clicking on this link.

Irish Language Day at ACIS

Thursday, April 19, 2007
This year, special one-day registration is being offered for the Irish language portion of the 2007 American Conference for Irish Studies national meeting (location: CUNY Graduate Center on 34th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, right across from the Empire State Building). Lectures in Irish and English will be given by Irish language scholars throughout the day, among them Boston College alum and former faculty member Brian O Conchubhair. Breakfast and tea breaks provided, along with admission to the evening program which includes a wine and cheese reception and concert. Visit www.lehman.edu/cunyiias or call 718-960-6722 for more info.

Gropesearching the Wake

Professor Joe Nugent will be leading a roundtable at the 2007 James Joyce Conference in Austin, Texas this coming Bloomsday. The roundtable will discuss strategies for running a successful Finnegans Wake reading group. Find out about it on this blog.

Symposium:Teaching and Learning the Irish Language in the United States: Practice, Prospects, Perspectives

This symposium will address several themes regarding the Irish language, including methods of instruction, the role and potential of technology, attitudes and responses to the language among varied student communities and regions in the United States, the relationship between Ireland and the United States in terms of Irish language organizations, public policy, and diverse media, and projection about potential future trends in Irish language learning.
Date: April 28th, 2007 · 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Location: Glucksman Ireland House, NYU
Symposium website

Irish language weekend

The weekend includes Irish language classes at 7 levels,céilís and workshops. Tuition is 160.00 USD and includes: meals from supper Friday evening to lunch on Sunday, and two nights accommodation at the Best Western Country Squire Resort in Kingston, ON. For more info, contact

Dr. Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh
kenny-h@rmc.ca
(613) 541-6000 ext 6042

Youth Studies Ireland - Call for Papers

Ireland's first professional youth studies journal, entitled Youth Studies Ireland, launched in October, 2006, published by the Irish Youth Work Press, represents the coming together of people interested in youth affairs throughout the island of Ireland.

It is an interagency venture supported by the following agencies: City of Dublin Youth Service Board (CDYSB), National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), Irish Youth Foundation (IYF), NUI Maynooth, the Youth Affairs Section of the Department of Education & Science and Youth Work Ireland.

The Editorial Board for the journal comprises: Dr. Maurice Devlin, Applied Social Studies Department of NUI Maynooth; Dr. Paula Mayock, Children’s Research Centre, Trinity College Dublin; Sam McCready, of the University of Ulster and Majella Mulkeen, Applied Social Studies Department, Institute of Technology, Sligo. There is also an Advisory Committee representing a wide range of interests (other educational and training institutions, youth organisations, Government agencies) and a panel of International Editorial Associates from several continents.

The Journal is produced bi-annually and the Editorial Board is actively seeking submissions for the next edition in the Autumn of 2007.

Papers submitted for consideration will be sent for anonymous peer review.

For further information and/or a copy of the notes for contributors please contact: Maurice Devlin, Applied Social Studies, National University of Ireland Maynooth, County Kildare.
Tel: + 353 (0)1 7083781
Fax: + 353 (0)1 7084708
maurice.devlin@nuim.ie

I am interested in doing graduate work in Irish Studies. What programs do you offer?

Irish Studies has wide ranging graduate programs within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Students may obtain an MA with a concentration in Irish History, an English department MA in Irish Literature and Culture; a PhD with a major field in Irish History; and a PhD in English with a concentration in Irish Literature.

The Masters Degree in Irish Literature and Culture offers English Department candidates the opportunity to design an interdisciplinary course of study drawing from a wide range of fields, including literature, Irish language, history, women’s studies, American studies, fine arts, music and cultural studies. Boston College's PhD program in English also attracts top doctoral candidates in Irish literature who work closely with Irish Studies faculty.

For information about these programs (incl. admissions requirements, GREs, etc.) please email the English Department at english@bc.edu. Or visit the Graduate Programs in English website.

Students may also specialize in Irish History in a range of graduate programs offered by the History Department. For information about these programs (incl. admissions requirements, GREs, etc.) please contact the History Department: email history@bc.edu or visit the Graduate Programs in History website.

In either case, admissions is handled through the Graduate School of Arts & Science. Applications and program materials are available on the Grad School's website. If you would like to make arrangements to take graduate classes prior to being enrolled as a formal student, contact the Graduate School or visit their web site about applying as a Special Student (allows students to take up to 2 graduate courses in the specific department they are interested in applying to). For more information and admission questions, contact GSAS at gsasinfo@bc.edu.

Graduates of both our masters and doctoral programs typically pursue careers in public and higher education, teaching Irish Studies, English, history and art. Alumni of the Irish Studies doctoral program hold faculty positions at the National University of Ireland, Dublin, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, the University of South Florida, Le Moyne College, and other four-year institutions. Information about the application process can be found on the Boston College Admissions homepage.

Graduate students are a vital part of Irish Studies at Boston College. Students contribute to the intellectual and social life of the program and add a genuine sense of community to Irish Studies at Boston College. Their contribution to events, lectures, courses and colloquia enhance the experience of all involved in the Irish Studies. Graduate students have made their presence known in the field by publishing articles in major journals in North America, Britain and Ireland. They have given papers at major conferences in North America, Ireland, Britain and Scandinavia. Graduate students have sponsored national conferences that have drawn students from all over North American and Ireland to discuss current research in Irish Studies.

Irish Studies courses are currently posted on our web site: www.bc.edu/irish.