Latest News
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Irish American Writers and Artists to honour William Kennedy
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009Here’s something really exciting:Â a new non-profit organisation has been formed to promote and celebrate the Irish-American contribution to the arts. Irish American Writers and Artists, Inc. is a non-profit organisation that
has established itself as a focal point for artists who would like to use their work to affect matters of culture, entertainment, politics and social justice. We stage events, sponsor readings, concerts and art exhibits, and hope to call attention to books, plays, movies, music and other works that reflect the STARTLING DIVERSITY of the Irish American experience.
The organisation will hold its first annual Eugene O’Neill Award Benefit on October 16, celebrating the lifetime achievements of author William Kennedy. Kennedy is known for his literary portrayal of Irish-American life in Albany, NY in such works as the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Ironweed. The night promises to be a special evening: Hollywood actor Matt Dillon and Pulitzer-Prize winner John Patrick Shanley (who wrote the play “Doubt”) will celebrate Kennedy’s artistry, while New York Times reporter and memoirist Dan Barry will present the award.
The group has its genesis in a panel at a literary festival in Charlottesville, Virginia in March 2008. Authors Peter Quinn and T.J. English, the late historian and author Daniel Cassidy, “Irish-America: Coming into Clover” author Maureen Dezell, and Dan Barry spoke at a panel entitled “In Search of Irish America”. [Listen to the podcast of the panel.]
In discussions afterward they realised a common interest in progressive politics and activism; this prompted them to gather a group of Irish-Americans active in the arts to support an ad praising then-candidate Barack Obama in the Irish Echo, the largest Irish-American newspaper. Eventually out of this initiative grew a spirit of collectivism that led to the formation of the association.
From their mission statement:
IAW&A is committed both to bringing together the Irish American creative community in new self-awareness and to being a force for inter-ethnic and interracial solidarity, understanding and active cooperation.
In the long tradition of Irish resistance to oppression and struggle for liberty, IAW&A supports free speech, the rights of immigrants, the equality and dignity of all—regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation—and the process of peaceful, positive social change in the U.S., Ireland and around the world. While avoiding party affiliation and endorsing no candidates for public office, IAW&A is outspoken in defense of artistic freedom, human rights and social justice.
The board of directors includes some of the most important commentators on Irish America in recent times, including legendary New York journalist Pete Hamill, “Looking for Jimmy” author Peter Quinn, and “All Souls” memoirist Michael Patrick MacDonald.
Here’s to their success! No doubt this organisation will serve as a great focal point and showcase for the vitality of Irish-American culture.
Related websites:
- Irish American Writers and Artists website
- IAW&A blog
- O’Neill Award
- Charlottesville Podcasting Network – VABook 2008: In Search of Irish America
UK Irish organisations gear up to help new arrivals
Thursday, August 20th, 2009The Irish Post is reporting that UK-based Irish organisations are stepping up their efforts to assist new arrivals in the face of increasing demands for their services.
The paper reports that a number of community centres, county organisations, and GAA clubs are willing to assist newcomers to Britain. For example, John Shea from London’s Kerry Association told the paper:
“We are telling people to contact us before you come. Let us know what type of work you are looking for and what you plan to do and we can make calls on your behalf.
“It’s a frightening experience to be in London with little or no support and we’re here to help.�
Read the article on the Irish Post website:
Book on immigration to Canada republished
Thursday, August 20th, 2009A revised edition of a 1991 book detailing Famine-era migration from Ireland to Canada has just been published. “Flight from Famine: The Coming of the Irish to Canada” was written by Donald MacKay.
In an interview with the Chronicle Herald, the author says that he was inspired to write the book on a visit to Ireland, when he realised that the Famine emigration was a seldom-discussed topic.
“We were in Ireland one summer in the late 1980s and we had noticed that nobody ever talked much about the famines and the migrations. We couldn’t find much about those events and my wife said I should write a book about them.”
Journalist Lorna Inness continues:
As he noted in the epilogue to the revised edition, the general atmosphere of silence, both here and in Ireland, has changed over the past 20 years.
In 1995, then-president Mary Robinson, speaking to the Irish Parliament, broke “the great silence” and the result was “almost as if a barrier had dropped . . . on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Read the articles on the Chronicle Herald website:
Frontier focus as Ulster-American Folk Park expands
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009The Ulster-American Folk Park will transform 30 additional acres into scenes from America’s western frontier, thanks to a £2.4 million expansion announced today. The living history museum tells the story of emigration from Ulster to America in the 18th and 19th centuries. The expansion will feature houses, barns and other buildings constructed by early Irish settlers.
Launching the project, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure minister Nelson McCausland said:
“The Ulster American Folk Park is a wonderful exploration of Ulster’s own rich history as well as the role that Ulster emigrants played in shaping American life and culture.
“This investment from DCAL will further improve visitor experience at the museum and allow the Ulster American Folk Park to expand the New World area.�
The project is expected to last ten years, with the first phase being completed in 2011. The museum attracts 160,000 visitors a year.
Related websites:
Researcher seeks Irish in Continental Europe
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009A researcher based in France has teamed up with EuropeanIrish.com to conduct a survey of Irish people living in Continental Europe. The site says:
Gráinne O’Keeffe-Vigneron is a lecturer at the Université Rennes 2, Brittany, France. Originally from Co. Tipperary, Ireland, she has been based in France for over 10 years and completed a PhD on the Irish in England in 2005. Her research interests are principally focused on Irish people as an immigrant minority.
“Being part of the “Irish in Europeâ€? myself, I have come to realise that very little is known about Irish people based in continental Europe. I hope to shed some light on those of us who have been largely ignored in research on the Irish diaspora”.
The survey is looking at the experience both of Irish people living in Continental Europe now and those who have returned.
180 to attend Global Economic Forum
Monday, July 27th, 2009There will be about 180 business leaders and high achievers in culture and sport attending Ireland’s first Global Economic Forum in Dublin’s Farmleigh House in September, according to the Sunday Business Post.
Taoiseach Brian Cowan and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will host the event, which will also be attended by all government departments and ministers. Minister Martin said a high rate of of acceptances had been received from members of the diaspora in the US, Britain, Australia, continental Europe, Asia, and the Gulf region. He described the event as “a national effort to reach out to the most successful and influential members of Ireland’s diaspora to facilitate their work and contribution to economic recovery”.
Martin told the newspaper that the event would harness the talents “of people who are conscious of worldwide trends in business and technology”. He added, “The second key element is to find ways to network this global diaspora more effectively in the future in a way that will contribute to Ireland and also benefit the network.”
Topics under consideration for discussion include Ireland as an innovation island, the digital and life sciences and marketing “Brand Ireland”.
Related articles:
- Sunday Business Post: Global Economic Forum for Farmleigh
- Ean.ie: Global Irish Economic Fourm to focus on growth, relationship