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.
15 October, 19 November & 17 December, 2020. The British Association for Irish Studies have scheduled online talks on 15 October: Race, Representation & Resistance in Contemporary Irish Writing & Culture'. Also 19 November: Becoming Irish? Brexit, Identity & Citizenship. And 17 December: A celebration of Irish Studies in Britain.
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.
AJIS Volume 20 will be posted to all current subscribers in August. Membership renewals are also due for the 2020-21 financial year. Membership for waged individuals is $20; and is free for postgraduate students, casual academics, pensioners and also those experiencing financial hardship at this time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Applications for the O'Donnell Fellowship are currently open for 2021 and will close Friday 31 July 2020. The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and international travel restrictions may result in the dates of the Fellowship changing for 2021 which is beyond our control. it is a fluid situation and we are willing to postpone the dates of the Fellowship as agreeable to both parties.
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.
Launch of the Cambridge University Press six-volume essay series Irish Literature in Transition, a new and dynamic account of Ireland’s literary history over 300 years. This event featured introductory remarks from Professor Jane Ohlmeyer (TCD) and Professor Patricia Coughlan (UCC), followed by a panel discussion with the individual volume editors, chaired by Professor Chris Morash (TCD).
