1 December, 2020. This seminar will focus on the life of an exceptional yet little-known Irish-Australian, Vincent Joseph Hearnes (1903-1986). A talented artist, engineer and writer, Hearnes spent much of his life studying the Irish language, and creating illuminated manuscripts that drew inspiration from sources such as the Book of Kells. Nevertheless, he never set foot in Ireland.
17 November, 2020. John Harding, the printer of the seditious Letters written by Jonathan Swift under the pseudonym ‘M.B. Drapier’, died five months after his imprisonment in November 1724. It has been assumed that he died from jail fever, which is an assumption that consigns his death to the realm of ‘accident’ and which leaves Swift’s reputation unquestioned, but this paper presents never-before-seen evidence suggesting that Harding, who had been due to appear in court, was the victim of a vicious beating ordered by the Lord Lieutenant, John Carteret, Swift’s friend, and carried out with tacit knowledge on Swift’s part.
13 October, 2020. The intention of this paper is to track the use of commemorations, which have played a pivotal role in Ireland as a way of re-evaluating the ideals and objectives of those who fought for an independent county. A central focus is to examine commemorations at various stages so that we can follow the changing position of women in Ireland and gain insight as to how women’s contributions to the shaping of modern Ireland were in effect written out of Irish history books, until recently.
1 September, 2020. Thousands of fragments of information, loose ends, straight fabrications and apparent contradictions have provided a research window into hitherto unsuspected Buddhist links between Ireland and Australia (and many other places) around the turn of the twentieth century. The careers of Dhammaloka and Charles Pfoundes, two of the most significant international Buddhist pioneers of their time, entirely lost to history until now, will be discussed.
Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 the ISAANZ 25 has been postponed until the middle of 2021. The Organising Committee looks forward to the opening of trans-Tasman travel and welcoming ISAANZ members to Auckland next year. Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar (MISS) will be resuming via Zoom in August. Check back for details.
How do you celebrate James Joyce's great modernist novel Ulysses in a time of plague? This year we are creating 18 short films, one for each of the book's episodes, and streaming them on Facebook. Directed by Jennifer Sarah Dean (founder of Melbourne Shakespeare Company), with an Australian and international cast, the virtual festival will be narrated by Max Gillies and will run from 8am until late on 16 June 2020.
During the month of May, BAIS will facilitate an online month-long Irish Studies ‘Conference’ on Twitter. We welcome speakers from anywhere in the world, at any stage of their careers, on any topic as long as it is related to Ireland or the Irish diaspora.
Readings from the works of Flann O'Brien. Master of Ceremonies: Deirdre Gillespie & Guest Readers. 21 March 2020, The Quiet Man, Flemington, Melbourne. EVENT CANCELLED. Organisers hope to rescheduled at a later date.
Fintan O'Toole Lecture, 11 March 2020 6.45-8pm, University of Melbourne. Brexit is altering the "totality of relationships" on the British-Irish archipelago, perhaps in fundamental ways.
February 11, 2020. Dr Darragh Gannon, Queen's University, Belfast.2020 O'Donnell Irish Studies Fellow. Making Mannix global, 1919-1923: a Melbourne reader. Newman College, Melbourne
