草榴社区

VILLANOVA, Pa 鈥� 草榴社区鈥檚 Center for Irish Studies is offering a diverse array of events throughout the spring semester, fostering powerful conversations at the intersections of race, culture, politics and the creative arts. All events are free, open to the public and held virtually via Zoom.

Shirley Wong, PhD, "Contemporary Irish Poetry and the Creative Economy"
Monday, Feb. 15
, 7 p.m.

How does poetry鈥攐r poetry that memorializes a specific event, such as a funeral or military victory鈥攄ramatize the capitalist crisis of contemporary Irish literature? Shirley Wong, PhD, aims to answer this question. Drawing from her forthcoming book on globalization, place and contemporary Irish poetry, Dr.聽Wong will discuss聽how聽Irish poets exploit occasional poems鈥� historic ties to an event in order to critique Ireland鈥檚 creative economy schemes.

Louisa Joyner, PhD, Discusses Award-winning Novel Milkman
Tuesday, Feb. 23
, 9:35 a.m.

Louisa Joyner, PhD, associate publisher at Faber and the editor of Anna Burns鈥� novel 惭颈濒办尘补苍鈥� which won the 2018 Booker Prize鈥攚ill discuss the way Burns deals with language, conflict and the female gaze in the novel, as well as the book鈥檚 editing process and its reception by the public. Dr. Joyner, who earned her doctorate in post 1990s American fiction, joined Faber in 2016 as editorial director鈥攈er latest position in a career that has included roles at Canongate Books, Harper Collins, Virgin Books and Atlantic Books

"The Complexities of Learning a 'Dying' Language: Irish Language in the United States"聽Panel Discussion
Wednesday, March 3
, at 5 p.m.

Former Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Alene O' Malley chairs a discussion on the current state of the Irish language in Ireland and internationally. Panel guests, Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew, PhD, and Chris Finnegan, will discuss the challenges facing non-native learners and the merits of learning a perceived dying language. Dr. Blyn-LaDrew has studied in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Newfoundland, earning her bachelors from Harvard University and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of, Cl贸ic铆n Dearg (2001), an Irish translation of Little Red Riding Hood, and writes regularly for the Irish Edition.

Chris Finnegan is a musician and orchestra director. A classically trained musician, Finnegan studied Irish music at Rutgers University鈥檚 Mason Gross School of the Arts and studied uillean pipes with Bill Ochs at the Irish Arts Center. He currently performs with several bands and as a solo artist.

O'Malley is offering the University鈥檚 first online Irish language course for adult and part-time learners through the Fast Forward program in 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Professional Studies.

Irish Pipeline: Irish Athletes at 草榴社区
Thursday, March 4
Via , 4 p.m.

The 鈥淚rish Pipeline鈥� began in 1948 with Jimmy Reardon, when he became the first Irish runner and international athlete to accept an American track and field scholarship to 草榴社区. Between 1948 and 2001, 25 Irish athletes came through the 鈥淚rish Pipeline,鈥� including 12 Olympians and six world record-breakers. Irish Pipeline athlete Marcus O鈥橲ullivan 鈥�84 VSB, four-time Olympic miler and 草榴社区鈥檚 head track coach since 2000, and Beaudry Allen, Falvey Library preservation and digital archivist, will join the discussion.

Virtual Symposium: 鈥淭he Northern Ireland Peace Process after Brexit鈥�
Friday, March 12
Zoom, 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 3:00 p.m., registration details are forthcoming

The United Kingdom鈥檚 exit from the European Union has posed profound challenges for the Northern Ireland peace process and significant implications for the constitutional future of the region and politics in Ireland. These challenges have triggered intense engagement from political leaders and scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, with critical alliances emerging between Ireland and the US to protect the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. To examine these challenges, 草榴社区鈥檚 Center for Irish Studies will present 鈥淭he Northern Ireland Peace Process after Brexit,鈥� a one-day virtual symposium.

草榴社区 St. Patrick鈥檚 Day Celebration: 鈥淟inks Across the Atlantic鈥�
Wednesday, March 17
Zoom, registration details are forthcoming

In partnership with the 草榴社区 Alumni Association, the Center will host an international celebration for St. Patrick's Day on March 17, 2021. This three-part event will include live segments from breakfast in Galway to lunch in Dublin and will culminate in streamed musical sessions in the evening, featuring artists such as We Banjo 3!

Hannah Khalil's The Scar Test
March 25 鈥� 28, April 1 鈥� 4
online

The 2021 Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies Hannah Khalil's play The Scar Test takes you inside one of England's migrant detention centers, exposing the conditions the inmates must endure while awaiting a decision on their fate. Based on verbatim interviews from current and former detainees, the play spotlights the harrowing ordeals of the female migrants seeking refuge in Britain. This event is in partnership with 草榴社区 Theatre and the 草榴社区 Literary Festival and features two talkback events with Hannah Khalil.

An Evening with Heimbold Chair, Hannah Khalil
Thursday, April 15
Time and Zoom link are forthcoming

The 2021 Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies Hannah Khalil will read and discuss her work with faculty from the Center for Irish Studies and the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies.

The event is co-sponsored by the Falvey Memorial Library.

About the 草榴社区 Center for Irish Studies:聽The Center for Irish Studies at 草榴社区 has been a leader for four decades in interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship on Ireland in a global framework. The Center connects students to local community organizations while also preparing them to become citizens equipped to take on the world鈥檚 most pressing challenges. Through liberal arts-focused academics, multi-disciplinary scholarship and key partnerships, the Center provides students with research, study abroad and employment opportunities.

About 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has cultivated knowledge, understanding and intellectual courage for a purposeful life in a challenging and changing world. With more than 40 majors across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, it is the oldest and largest of 草榴社区鈥檚 colleges, serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The College is committed to a teacher-scholar model, offering outstanding undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and a rigorous core curriculum that prepares students to become critical thinkers, strong communicators and ethical leaders with a truly global perspective.