Irish Theatrical Diaspora: NUI Galway, 17-18 April 2009
Monday, March 9th, 2009“Irish Theatre: the Local and the Global” is the theme of the 2009 Irish Theatrical Diaspora Conference, which will be held on 17-18 April 2009 at NUI, Galway.
The Irish Theatrical Diaspora develops and co-ordinates research on the production of Irish drama in its local, national and international contexts. The project defines “Irish drama” as all theatrical performances within the island of Ireland, and any theatrical performances outside the country involving Irish-born personnel or having substantial Irish content”.
This is the sixth annual conference hosted by the ITD. The keynote address, “The Spaces of Irish Theatre”, will be delivered by Christopher Morash of NUI Maynooth.
The conference is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Registration is free but places are limited.
See the timetable and registration information at the Irish Theatrical Diaspora website.
“North by North West”: U of Ulster, 3-6 Sept 2009
Monday, March 9th, 2009The Institute of Ulster Scots Studies has issued the following call for papers:
North by North West: An International Conference
3rd -6th Sept 2009
Description: We invite proposals for papers exploring themes that will examine the Maritime history of Ulster from 1599-2009 focusing in particular the Port of Derry/Londonderry as a ‘Gateway to the Atlantic’. The conference will be hosted by the Institute of Ulster Scots Studies.
The themes of the conference are Environmental & Archaeological history, Military & Port Fortifications of Loughs Foyle & Swilly, Merchants & Traders in 18th & 19th century Ulster & Scotland, Ulster & the Atlantic World, Shipbuilders & Shipping Lines, From Here to Wherever, emigration from NorthWest Ulster.
Paper proposals should indicate under which theme they wish to
be considered. Conference proceedings will be published.
Conference organisers: Sally Halliday M.Phil & Dr Billy Kelly
Venue: University of Ulster, Magee Campus
Contact: Sally Halliday at sp.halliday@ulster.ac.uk
Tel: 02871375098
Sally Halliday M.Phil
Institute of Ulster Scots Studies
Room MI021
Aberfoyle House
Northland Road
L’Derry
BT48 9JL
Submission date for papers: 18th May 2009
“Migrating Minds”, University of Aberdeen, 14-15 May 2009
Monday, March 9th, 2009“Migrating Minds: Imagined Journeys – Imagined Homecomings” will be the topic of a conference hosted in May at the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. The conference will take place alongside the Aberdeen WORD Festival.
Organisers say:
Literature (both fiction and non-fiction), personal journals and correspondence, and art enable us to explore the impact that journeys and homecomings have had on Irish and Scottish imaginations. Irish and Scottish migrants, as well as those who sought to understand, interpret and exploit the experience of migration, participated in the production and circulation of these accounts and images both at home and abroad. As such, they form an important dimension to any understanding of the Irish and Scottish diasporas. With this in mind, we seek to investigate the idea of migration as a series of narratives and rhetorical tropes that develop over time.
Selected proceedings will be published in the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies.
Related links:
- Conference call for papers at the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies website
- Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies
- Aberdeen Word Festival
First Passport Appeals Officer appointed
Monday, February 23rd, 2009The Minister for Foreign Affairs has appointed Ireland’s first Passport Appeals Officer. The office was established by the Passports Act 2008, which gave those who had been refused a passport or had their passports cancelled the right to appeal.
The appointee is a former officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Swift. He has served in Irish embassies in three continents in his forty-year career. His appointment will last for a three-year period.
Read the press release on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
Irish emigrants make 1.7 million trips home annually
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009Irish emigrants make 1.7 million journeys home every year, according to Garret Fitzgerald. The former Taoiseach made the statement in an article highlighting the extraordinary nature of Irish foreign travel.
He highlights the following facts:
- In 2007, Irish people made 7.7 million trips abroad.
- Ireland attracts 4.5 million tourist a year.
- There are one million business visits.
- A total of 15 million round trips are made to and from Ireland every year.
Read the entire article on the Irish Times website.
Skibbereen and Canada to host Famine Memorial events
Thursday, January 8th, 2009This year’s National Famine Memorial Day will be held on May 17th. The date has been announced by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O Cuiv.
Skibbereen, Co. Cork will be the focal point of this year’s commemoration in Ireland, while there will also be an international event taking place in Toronto. Skibbereen was selected as it was one of the worst affected areas; a mass grave at Abbeystrewery holds between 8,000 and 10,000 famine victims.
The National Famine Commemoration Committee was established last year, and had decided to hold an annual event, revolving between each of the four provinces. Last year’s event was in Dublin, and in 2010 Mayo will be the focal point.
The committee will also run a parallel event in Canada; Canada was a landing point for thousands of Irish fleeing starvation. The overseas commemoration reflects the role of the famine in dispersing the Irish people, as the population fell from 8 million in 1841 to half that in the following decades.
Related websites:
- Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
- Toronto Famine Memorial
- Grosse Ile and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site of Canada