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Spring into green season with Irish Studies!

Second annual graduate conference among March events
March 1, 2018
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By Cristina Sanza


With green season around the corner, Montreal's Irish community has numerous events on the horizon, and the School of Irish Studies is no exception. 

It all kicks off with The Second Annual North American Graduate Conference in Irish Studies, called “Irish Spaces,” on March 2 and 3.

In keeping with the School's interdisciplinary focus, panel discussions and talks will cover a variety of topics within the field of Irish Studies, from literary, political and visual perspectives.

“We want to demonstrate that Irish studies is both relevant, and a formidable discipline by which one can explore topics way beyond the boundaries of Ireland itself,” says Camille Harrigan, one of the conference organizers.

Rhona Richman Kenneally, professor in Design and Computation Arts and fellow of the School of Irish Studies, will launch the conference with her Opening Remarks & Introductory Lecture “Irish Spaces: A Speculative Approach”.

On day two, Adam Hanna from Ireland’s University College Cork will give a keynote titled "Writing in the Margins: Irish Poetry and Space."  

“What exactly he will address will be a surprise,” says Harrigan. “We’ve given him a bit of latitude to explore our theme.”

Attendees are in for an invigorating debate with the roundtable discussion “The Brexit Club: Boundaries and Borders,” which will explore the controversial referendum and its impact on Ireland.

“The conference will certainly appeal to those interested in Irish studies,” says Harrigan. “But also, those in art history, political science, English and history should find something of interest in the program we have lined up this year.”

March is ripe with Irish studies speakers

Gramophones of the Irish Revolution: Material Culture and Trauma Narratives in Irish Modernism

Thursday, March 8, 7 p.m.

The gramophone was the first sound recording device, and its technology improved alongside Ireland’s violent struggles for political autonomy. Dr. Susanne Cammack, Visiting Fulbright Canada postdoctoral fellow in Irish Studies, will look at the device and its relation to Ireland at war.

Spies, Informers and Fenians: The Origins of the Secret Police in Canada

Wednesday, March 14, 7 p.m.

David A. Wilson, professor from the University of Toronto, specializes in Modern Irish History and the Irish in North America. He has published several award-winning books, and is currently writing a book about the Fenian underground in Canada.

Ulysses and the Hidden History of Irish Divorce, 1857–1922

Wednesday, March 28, 7 p.m.

Peter Kuch, Eamon Cleary Chair of Irish Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand, published Irish Divorce / Joyce's Ulysses in 2017. He argues that divorce in Edwardian Ireland was both possible and practiced.

All events will take place in the McEntee Reading Room, H 1001.01.

For details on all the events, visit the School of Irish Studies webpage.



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