CAIS Registration form 2010

The Irish Studies Programme at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will be hosting CAIS/ACEI’s annual conference from May 19 to May 22, 2010. The theme of the conference is “Ireland and its Discontents: Success and Failure in Modern Ireland” and will include lively academic sessions and literary and cultural events.

Information about the conference can also be accessed through Saint Mary’s website

Professor Clair Wills will give a keynote lecture, there will be readings by the internationally-acclaimed poet, Micheal O’Siadhail, and the Irish-language writer, Micheál Ó Conghaile, and a concert featuring the Aran Island-singer, Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola. Moreover, the conference is partnering with the Ireland Canada University Foundation to bring the Government of Ireland’s ICUF Irish language scholars to Halifax for a roundtable discussion on teaching Irish in Canada.

You will find below information about conference registration, including a registration form, accommodation options, and Halifax.

CAIS Conference 2010: Main Guests

Clair Wills is Professor of Irish Literature at Queen Mary University of London. She has published widely on Irish poetry and literary culture. Her study of Ireland during the war years, That Neutral Island: A History of Ireland during the Second World War (2007), won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History. Her most recent book is Dublin 1916: The Siege of the GPO.

Micheal O’Siadhail (www.osiadhail.com) was born in 1947. He was educated at Clongowes Wood College, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Oslo. A full-time writer, he has published twelve collections of poetry. He was awarded an Irish American Cultural Institute prize for poetry in 1982, the Marten Toonder prize for literature in 1998 and The Gossamer Wall was short-listed for Wingate Jewish Quarterly Prize (2003). His poem suites The Naked Flame, Summerfest, Earlsfort Suite and Dublin Spring were commissioned and set to music for performance and broadcasting. He has given poetry readings and broadcast extensively in Ireland, Britain, Europe, North America and Japan. In 1985 he was invited to give the Vernam Hull Lecture at Harvard and the Trumbull Lecture at Yale University. He represented Ireland at the Poetry Society’s European Poetry Festival in London in 1981 and at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1997. He was writer-in-residence at the Yeats Summer School in 1991.
Micheal O’Siadhail was a member of the Arts Council of the Republic of Ireland (1988-93) and of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Relations (1989 -97), a founder member of Aosdána and a former editor of Poetry Ireland Review. He was the founding chairman of ILE (Ireland Literature Exchange). Several of his books have been translated into Japanese and German.

Micheál Ó Conghaile was born in 1962. He is from Inis Treabhair originally, but now living in Indreabhán, Co. Galway. He established the publishing company Cló Iar-Chonnachta (www.cic.ie) in 1985 and the company has since published over 300 books and 200 traditional Irish music albums.
A prolific and talented writer, he has published poetry, short stories, a novel, a play, and a novella, and has also done some translation work. In 1997 the Irish American Cultural Institute awarded him The Butler Literary Award. The same year his second collection of short stories, An Fear a Phléasc (The Man Who Exploded), was published and received much critical acclaim. His short story ‘Athair,’ (Father), from that collection, was awarded the Hennessy Literary Award that year, and he was also awarded the Hennessy Young Irish Writer of the Year Award. In 1998 he was elected to Aosdána for his “outstanding contribution to the Arts in Ireland.” His first novel, Sna Fir, (Among Men), was published in 1999, and was shortlisted for The Irish Times Literature Awards 2001. His works have been translated into various languages, including Romanian, Croatian, Albanian, Slovenian, German, Polish and English. Micheál Ó Conghaile’s third collection of short stories, An Fear nach nDéanann Gáire (The Man who Never Laughs), was published in 2003 and his first play Cúigear Chonamara was staged at An Taibhdhearc Theatre, Galway, in October, 2003 and was awarded the Stewart Parker/BBC Ulster Award, an Oireachtas Award and a Writers Week/Listowel Award. He was writer in Residence at Queen’s University, Belfast and at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, 1999–2002. His second play, Jude, was produced at An Taibhdhearc in Galway in March 2007, as was his third play, Go dTaga do Ríocht, in July 2008.

Lasairfhíona (pronounced Lah-sah-reena), the young singer/songwriter from the West of Ireland has made quite an impression on the folk and world music scene in recent years (www. Aransinger.com). Deeply rooted in the sean-nós singing style of her native Inis Oírr on the Aran Islands, she is equally at home in a more innovative approach to Irish music. Lasairfhíona’s new slant on traditional singing makes her endeavors very appealing, culminating, as one critic noted ‘in a magical mosaic of sound, as refreshing and as unpredictable as a showery day inside in Aran.’ She is a native Irish speaker and learnt many original songs from her family, thus continuing the rich singing tradition of the Aran Islands. Described by fRoots magazine as “one of the most sumptuous traditional albums to have emerged for sometime,” Lasairfhíona’s debut album An Raicín Álainn (pronounced An Rackeen Ah-lyn), launched in 2002 at the Festival Interceltique in Lorient, Brittany, generated a very favourable response in Ireland and abroad. Appropriately called Flame of Wine, a literal translation of her name, her second solo album was released in 2005 and was also well received; tracks from Flame of Wine were used on the award winning BBC programme Coast. Lasairfhíona appeared on television programmes, such as The Late Late Show, Up For The Match and she was also the subject of a special television documentary called Léargas. Her singing can be heard on IBM’s Porto Media web documentary called Stories of Innovation.

CAIS/ ACEI Conference 2010: Registration

CAIS Registration form 2010 for this year’s CAIS/ ACEI conference in Halifax.

The Conference organizers will acknowledge all registrations in a timely manner. For planning reasons, we encourage you to register by May 10, 2010.

Please download, fill out the form and email completed form to: irishstudies@smu.ca

The organizers have tried to keep the registration fees as modest as possible. The Regular and the Student rates include not just the opening reception, coffee breaks and concert but also three lunches in the Saint Mary’s University Dockside Dining Hall (“All-you-care-to-eat”). As usual the conference will conclude with the CAIS/ACEI banquet. Please note that there is a separate charge for the banquet.
Regrettably, Saint Mary’s University does not offer online registration for conferences (don’t blame the CAIS Conference organizers: they tried!). Thus, we are offering a number of options for registration:
(1) Mail the enclosed registration form with the appropriate payment — cheque or money order (Canadian funds only) or with the credit card section completed — to Pádraig Ó Siadhail, Irish Studies, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 3C3.
Or
(2) Fax the registration form with the credit card section completed to Pádraig Ó Siadhail , Irish Studies, at (902) 420-5110.

We look forward to welcoming you to Halifax in May.

CAIS/ ACEI Conference 2010: Accommodation

CAIS/ACEI for the 2010 Annual Conference is offering three suggestions for accommodation. Please see below for the following information.

Saint Mary’s University
The least expensive option is the student residence on Saint Mary’s University campus. Please note that the campus residence includes breakfast. For additional details, please see the attached form (SMUResidence2010). Mail the completed form to Conference Service at Saint Mary’s University or call their toll free number at 1-888-347-5555 for bookings.

RESIDENCE RATES – 2010
Total
(With Taxes & Breakfast)
Single $42.00
Twin $65.00

The Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites
Corner of Spring Garden Road and South Park Street in downtown Halifax. 15 minute walk to university. Overlooks the Public Gardens Park.

The Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites is pleased to offer delegates attending The CAIS/ACEI Annual Conference the following special rate: $155.00/day + applicable taxes for a Classic Guest Room during May 18-23, 2010. All guest room rates include complimentary high speed internet access and are based on availability. To book your reservation, simply e-mail the Reservations Department at ask@lordnelsonhotel.com or call 1-800-565-2020 and quote #19531 to receive your special rate.
For more information please view this website: http://www.lordnelsonhotel.com/index.asp

The Halliburton
Located on Morris Street between Barrington Street and Hollis Street in downtown Halifax.
15-20 minute walk to university.

CAIS has blocked off 10 rooms at the Halliburton. These rooms are being offered at a nightly price of $129.00/day + applicable taxes. Each room has a queen size bed. Complimentary breakfast, wireless connection, and parking will be provided to guest. The Halliburton is a historical building. Guest will require climbing one to two sets of stairs, there are no elevators. To reserve a room, simply call 1-888-512-3344 or email them at reservations@thehalliburton.com. Please request a room from the reserved block held under “CAIS”. Delegates must reserve a blocked guest room no later than April 18th, 2010. All remaining rooms will be released at that time. For more information please view this website: http://www.halliburton.ns.ca/

Other Accommodation
If the accommodation above does not meet your needs, feel free to check out this link for listings of other accommodation near the university. http://www.halifaxinfo.com/

CAIS/ ACEI Conference 2010: General Information

CAIS/ACEI for the 2010 Annual Conference has gathered additional information to help make your stay an enjoyable experience.

Saint Mary’s University
Saint Mary’s University is located on Robie Street at the junction with Inglis Street in the south end of the Halifax Peninsula, close to the city centre.

A map can be found at: http://www.smu.ca/administration/admiss/campustour/campustour.html

Halifax Stanfield International Airport
For those arriving at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, transportation is available either by taxi or regularly scheduled shuttle bus. Taxi and limousine services are available curbside in the arrivals area for all arriving flights. A one-way trip to Halifax city centre is $53.00 (Canadian) by taxi or $56.00 (Canadian) by limousine. If using Airporter shuttle services, we suggest you disembark at the Lord Nelson Hotel for closest proximity to the university, and then take a taxi (approximately seven dollars CDN). Regular fare for the Airporter is $21.00 (CDN) one way. For more information regarding Airporter, call 902-873-2091. For more information on other services available at the airport, go to: http://www.hiaa.ca

Nightlife
Check out these two websites for listings and reviews on the restaurants and nightlife in Halifax.
Restaurants: http://www.restaurantica.com/ns/Halifax/
Nightlife: http://www.10best.com/Halifax,NS/Nightlife/

Ireland and its Discontents

Success and Failure in Modern Ireland

Canadian Association for Irish Studies/ l’Association canadienne d’études irlandaises

Annual Conference, 2010

Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

19-22 May 2010

“Anyone who is failing at one thing,” psychoanalyst Adam Phillips has suggested, “is always succeeding at another.” We invite proposals for papers interrogating the relationship between success and failure in modern and contemporary Ireland, as reflected in its politics, its economic policies, its literature, and its popular culture. The Celtic Tiger is one obvious recent example of a ‘success’ narrative that was intimately linked to a series of failures on the part of Irish society to safeguard its more vulnerable communities. With the recent publication of the “Ryan Report,” to cite another example, it is clear that the success of the Catholic Church in exerting its power over Ireland’s educational and reformatory institutions came at the price of a failure to guarantee the safety and welfare of Ireland’s youth. By the same token, it might be argued that Fianna Fáil’s longtime political success depended on the failure to engage with the ‘National Question,’ i.e., Partition and Northern Ireland. Success and failure, as manifested in language revival policies, in gender-related issues, in the lives of prominent public figures, and the reality and perceptions of the Irish diaspora, including the Irish in Canada, are also topics worthy of consideration.

We welcome papers that address other topics and proposals for special panels.

Please send proposals including contact information (250 words) by e-mail to:

Pádraig Ó Siadhail, D’Arcy McGee Chair of Irish Studies, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 3C3 (padraig.osiadhail@smu.ca) by 15 January 2010.

it's time to renew

Take a few moments and renew your membership in CAIS. Help keep the association alive and kicking. ]]> http://www.irishstudies.ca/announcements/its-that-time/feed/ 0 http://www.irishstudies.ca/conferences/cais-2009-into-the-west/ http://www.irishstudies.ca/conferences/cais-2009-into-the-west/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:37:11 +0000 Danine Farquharson http://v3.irishstudies.ca/?p=91 CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Information about travel, accommodation, food is below.

For details of Calgary bus info (which goes right by the Best Western and a stop close to Hotel Arts), please go to:

http://www.calgarytransit.com

Also below is a schedule of conference events.

Please Contact Michele Holmgren (mholmgren@mtroyal.ca) if you have any questions

Calgary, Alberta (June 3-6)
Mount Royal College

INTO THE WEST

The 2009 Canadian Association for Irish Studies is holding its annual conference and AGM from June 3-6, 2009 at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. Conference organizers are calling for 20-minute contributions on any aspect connected with or suggested by the title of the conference. 

Keynote speakers:     Ann Saddlemyer & Ronan Bennett

Conference Schedule:

Wednesday, June 3

3 to 6.30 pm      Continuing registration in East Arts (EA) Building (“The Knuckle” Third Floor, EA)

5-7:30 pm          Mount Royal President’s Reception, Mount Royal Faculty Association Faculty Club (W315)

Thursday, June 4

Daytime: Registration and conference sessions, East Arts Building

Evening: Play reading, John Countryman (“Moot Court,” First Floor, EA)

Friday, June 5

Daytime: Conference sessions

Evening: Reading/concert featuring Western writers: Ken Rivard, Richard Harrison, Yvonne Trainer, Sid Marty (“The Knuckle,” Third Floor, EA)

Saturday, June 6

Daytime: Chuckwagon pancake breakfast, 9-10 outside faculty club (weather permitting—otherwise, it will be inside).

Conference sessions, Annual General Meeting (Moot Court)

Evening: Reception at 6.30 p.m. followed by banquet at 7.30

Where to stay, where to eat and drink, and how to get around in Calgary

• Tourism Calgary
• Glenbow Museum and  Archives, Calgary
• Calgary Stampede Grounds 
• Travel Alberta 
• Canadian Rockies 
• Kananaskis Country 
• Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller 
• Mount Royal College
• Calgary Transit 

Addresses and Links for Mount Royal Residence and Hotels. We strongly recommend people check out the MRC residence accommodation. Better than the average university res!!

Mount Royal residence 

A block of rooms have been reserved for CAIS members at the MRC Residence, and if they indicate that they want a double room, they will automatically be partnered with another CAIS delegate of the same gender.  If they wish to share with a specific person, they can request that, and they can also specify if they want a single room. Please direct all inquiries about residence,  especially bookings, to the residence people. Their telephone number and e-mail are clearly displayed on the link.

Hotel Arts  – Special conference rate of $179/night available for CAIS members.  You need to book by May 4. Funky boutique hotel with excellent restaurant and poolside bar.  Decorated with work by local artists.

Best Western Suites  – If we get 10 rooms or more filled, the rate will be $139.00 for the conference rate.  Otherwise people can avail themselves of the corporate rate $170.99 or even a seniors rate. Convenient SW location.  Close to Downtown and C-Train.

Bed and Breakfasts 

Calgary Westways Guesthouse  (a 20-minute ride by Bus).  Close to the Stampede, Downtown and C-train stations

216 – 25 Ave S.W.
Calgary, AB  T2S 0L1
Toll Free: 1-866-846-7038
Phone: 1-403-229-1758
Cell: 1-403-889-9158

Sanderson Manor B&B (about a 25-minute walk from the college) and on the bus route

4312 15th St. S.W.
Calgary, AB  T2T 4B2
Phone: 1-403-287-3820

A Calgary Historic B&B at Twin Gables (a 20-minute ride by Bus).  Close to the Stampede, Downtown and C-train stations

611-25 Ave. SW
Calgary, AB  T2S 0L7
Toll Free: 1-866-271-7754
Phone: 1-403-271-7754

Food on Campus: 

• Campus food 
• Students’ Union Centre (Wykham House) 

Food (off campus, a short hike away)

• Wild Rose Brewery - Next to the farmer’s market.  It is less than a 10-minute walk from campus.
• Calgary Farmer’s Market  – (No more than a 10-minute walk from campus.  Good for lunch.  Open on Friday and Saturday It might be open on Thursday in June if summer hours are in effect)

Bass Brothers Pub

2 Richard Way SW 
Calgary, AB T3E 7M9 

Marda Loop (33rd Ave. is about a 20-minute walk from campus and features some pubs, and modern lounge-style restaurant called “O”,  some ethnic food, including Vietnamese and Opa (Greek), and Kaffa Café in a funky old house. ) 

Downtown and Beyond

There are also many good restaurants on 17th Ave. (20 minutes by bus) and downtown.  Click on the following link for a long list of places to eat in calgary

http://www.tourismcalgary.com/e-cvb/Quicksearch/Qsearchresults.cfm?mc=MDINING

Award Winners

2008   Megan Finley (Concordia University ) and Annie Moore (University of California, Irvine)

2007   Simon Jolivet (Concordia University)

Revised Conference Program (pdf)

Memorial University of Newfoundland (St. John’s, NL, Canada)

Plenary Speakers:

Dr. Peter Hart (Canada Research Chair in Irish Studies, Memorial University)
Dr. Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin (Smurfit-Stone Corporation Professor of Irish Music, University of Missouri-St. Louis)

Newsletter Editor: Sean Farrell
A Letter from the President

Friends, Mes amis, A chairde —

I hope that all is well across Canada and beyond, as folks begin to think of matters like the raking of leaves, the dragging on of CBC strikes, and, hopefully, the coming year in Irish Studies.

We had quite a great conference at the National University of Ireland / Maynooth, where Jason King organised a truly exceptional array of activities. Highlights included a private meeting with the director of the Abbey Theatre, a plenary on Irish-Canadian theatre connections, a celebration of Quebec’s Fête nationale on 25 June (made possible by the very generous support of the Quebec Government Office in London), and, of course, David Wilson’s rendition of “The Post-Colonial Boy.” And thanks to the generous support of the Ireland Fund of Canada, we were able to support the travel to Maynooth of six graduate students from Canadian Universities. A good conference, I know, was had by all.

We are now gearing up for our 2006 conference, which will be held in Ottawa. Executive member Kel Morin- Parsons will be organising the event, and in collaboration with the rest of the CAIS Executive she’s going to put on quite an event. A call for papers is included in this newsletter, and we encourage folks not only to submit paper ideas but also ideas for plenaries or

special presentations on the conference’s topic: “Urban Ireland”

Speaking of Urban Ireland, every paid- up member should have gotten a copy of the new issue of The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies devoted to the culture of Dublin. This was edited by the Culture and the Cities Project (which you can learn more about at their website, http://www.yorku.ca/cities/ ) and is, we believe, a great contribution to the study of Irish urban life. If you didn’t get a copy, drop me a line at jerry.white@ualberta.ca or at 780.492.0121. The next issue of the journal, “Irish-Canadian Connections,” edited by Kevin James and Jason King, should be to folks’ mailboxes soon. You’ll also find in this issue a call for papers for an upcoming issue on “Women’s Irish-Canadian Connections,” which we hope folks will find interesting.

And finally, a note on the CAIS Executive. We are so pleased to welcome new executive members Kel Morin-Parsons and Patricia O’Leary- Coughlin, both of whom began their terms in June. But since there were no nominations for either President or Secretary-Treasurer, Danine Farquharson and myself have agreed to serve in those positions for one more year than our terms originally entailed. Cecil Houston has once again taken charge of a nominations committee, and will be running an election very shortly. We really do hope that some good nominations can come out of this process, and that CAIS can continue to move forward. So if you know someone who would be good for these roles, or if you think you’d do well with them yourselves, please speak up! The call for nominations is on the back page of this newsletter and the nomination form can be found on our website:

www.irishstudies.ca

Hope to see everyone soon. Best wishes, Bien à vous, Le gach dea- ghui

— Jerry White, President, CAIS

CAIS 2005: Canada Goes to Maynooth

A new member nearly lost in a moat, a first-time presenter saved from a locked bathroom by a gallant CAIS veteran, the sweet sounds of the pied piper of Toronto and a desperate and slaked cry for an Irish fried breakfast on a far too abrupt Sunday morning; these are only a few of the stories from CAIS 2005 in Maynooth that won’t be told in full in this newsletter. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

By all accounts, CAIS’s first visit to Ireland in ten years was a tremendous success. This was largely due to the hard work of Jason King, who hosted the conference at the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, and truly seemed to be everywhere at once. The conference theme was Ireland and the Atlantic, with excellent plenary talks, a trip to the Abbey Theatre and a number of truly outstanding papers, it was indeed a special gathering. One of the real highlights of the conference was a celebration of Cyril

Byrne’s long and continuing impact on Canadian Irish Studies, easily seen in often moving reflections and readings by Cecil Houston, Padraig O’Siadhail, Danine Farquharson, and many others. Finally, the conference was enlivened by the presence of a number of talented young scholars funded by the generosity of the Ireland Fund of Canada. All in all, the conference was a tremendous success and an excellent reminder of why we get together to celebrate all things Irish and the rich connections between Ireland and Canada. Along these lines,…

CAIS 2006, 14-17 June

The Canadian Association for Irish Studies is pleased to announce that our 2006 conference will take place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Planning is currently underway to bring members a conference filled with lively sessions, memorable speakers and great craic. The University of Ottawa hosts a Chair in Celtic Studies, and Canada’s capital city is home to a large and vibrant Irish community whose organisations include the Irish Society of the National Capital Region http://irishsocietyncr.com/, the Ottawa Gaels Football Club <http://www.ottawagaels.ca/, the Tara Players Irish Theatre Troupe http://taraplayers.ncf.ca/, and a chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann <http://cceottawa.com/index.htm>. The conference will take place in June; the call for papers can be found below:

The Canadian Association for Irish Studies (CAIS) invites proposals for presentations of twenty minutes in length – as well as full panel discussions – for its annual conference, to be held this year at the University of Ottawa from 14 June to 17 June 2006. The theme of the CAIS conference this year is “Urban Ireland”. Possible topics, very broadly defined, include (but are not limited to): literary and visual representations of Irish cities;

• representations of city life in mass media;
• the role of specifically urban concerns in shaping national policy or culture;
• Canadian comparisons: Dublin/Ottawa, Galway/Vancouver, Derry/Iqualuit, etc.;
• immigration and its impact on urban planning, or on urban culture;
• discussions of the rural/urban divide;
• historical accounts of the changing nature of Irish cities;
• cultural geographies of Irish cityscapes;
• discussion of architectural history, or of the future of Irish urban architecture.

The deadline for paper proposals is 15 January 15 2006. Paper proposals should be 250-500 words in length, in English or French, and sent either electronically or by post to:
Jerry White President, Canadian Association for Irish Studies Department of English and Film Studies 3-5 Humanities Centre University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E5 Canada
Phone: 780.492.0121 Fax: 780.492.8142 Email: Jerry.White@ualberta.ca

Greetings from the Rock!

To all CAIS members who are not aware, your Secretary-Treasurer has moved back to her adoptive homeland: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Please change your email/postal address books to reflect this new address:

Danine Farquharson
Dept. of English
Memorial University of Newfoundland
St. John’s, NL, Canada
A1C 5S7
daninef@mun.ca

ALSO: it is THAT time of year. If you have a membership renewal page in this newsletter, then your membership is due! Please fill out the form and send to the above address with those lovely (and still desperately needed) CAIS membership fees.

Grian

Eat, Drink and Be Hungry: Ireland and
Consumption
Eighth Annual Grian Conference
3-5 March 2006
Glucksman Ireland House
New York University

Throughout Ireland’s history, the rituals of food, drink and consumption have continued to play important, yet protean roles as Ireland’s social fabric has changed. The spectrum between scarcity and abundance at points in Ireland’s history manifests itself through complicated cultural attitudes toward food. If a pint in Ireland is “the drink,” Grian is interested in exploring the social rituals, cultural practices and eduring aspects of Ireland’s comestible cultures at all points in its history. In short, the eight annual Grian conference will address the broad relation of food and consumption in Ireland and its diaspora. One page abstracts for 20 minutes papers are invited from scholars in any field including history, cultural studies, business, anthropology, etc…. Send abstracts by 15 October to:

Ireland.grian@nyu.edu. Queries may be
addressed to Elizabeth Gilmartin:
egilmart@monmouth.edu or Kerri Anne
Burke: kab350@yahoo.com.

ACIS National Conference 2006

The University of Missouri-St. Louis will host the 2006 American Conference for Irish Studies national conference. The conference will begin with a plenary lecture and reception on the evening of Wednesday, April 19, and conclude with a banquet on the evening of Saturday, April 22. The conference site will be the Sheraton Hotel in Clayton, Missouri, convenient to St. Louis airport and midtown/downtown St. Louis. A feature of the conference will be a “Blues Cruise and Dinner on the Mississippi” on April 21. Michael Coady will be the featured conference writer and plenary speakers will include Marianne Elliott (University of Liverpool), Ríonach Ui Õgáin (University College, Dublin), Joan FitzPatrick Dean (University of Missouri-Kansas City). St. Louis Arts will be the conference’s special guest performers. The conference’s unifying theme will be “Old Age Pipers to New Age Punters: Ireland Through the Ages.” The organizers will be delighted to receive panel proposals, roundtable proposals, and individual paper abstracts on the conference theme or any other aspect of Irish Studies. Graduate students are encouraged to submit abstracts. Send completed abstracts of no more than 200 words by 15 November to Eamonn Wall, Center for International Studies, University of Missouri-St. Louis, One University Boulevard, St. Louis MO 63121 or by email to walle@umsl.edu. To present a paper or participate on a panel, you must be a ACIS member. Membership forms can be downloaded from the ACIS website at www.acisweb.com or requested by mail from 

Kristine Byron, ACIS
Treasurer, Dept. of Spanish and
Portuguese, Michigan State University,
329 Old Horticulture Building, East
Lansing, MI 48824-1112.

IASIL 2006

“Those images that yet/ Fresh images beget” (W.B. Yeats ‘Byzantium’) University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Thursday 20 July to Sunday 23 July 2006

In writing The Living Stream: Literature and Revisionism in Ireland, Edna Longley says that she found she was often ‘tracing a textual web’, and that the term ‘intertextuality’ applied to what she was investigating ‘not as a theoretical dead letter, but as a creative dynamic working upon mechanisms of tradition and cultural definitions alike’. This conference is devoted to exploring ‘intertextuality’ in all its forms in Irish literature and culture from earliest times to the present. Proposals are warmly invited on the general conference theme: exploring ‘intertextuality’ in all its forms in Irish literature and culture. Please submit a title and 200 word abstract to irish@unsw.edu.au by 15th December, 2005. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes duration.

ASSEC 2006

The Hidden Ireland
Montréal, Quebec, Canada
March 30-April 2

Daniel Corkery’s study of the literature and society of Irish-speaking Munster in the eighteenth century (The Hidden Ireland, first published in 1924) is an acknowledged classic of Irish literary history. The Keough Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame, will sponsor a panel at the 2006 ASECS conference at Montréal, March 30-April 2 entitled “The Hidden Ireland”. This panel will examine Irish writing (in both languages) in the light of Corkery’s analysis and recent reassessments of that analysis. We welcome proposals for this panel. Please send electronic proposals (300-500 words) by September 25, 2005 to:

Professor Brian Ó Conchubhair
Department of Irish Language and
Literature
422 Flanner Hall
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556

Telephone: 574-631-0499
Fax: 574-631-3620
e-mail: boconch1.@nd.edu

And in conclusion,…

Needless to say, I hope this note finds our friends across Canada and beyond in good health and spirits. Please remember that this newsletter would quite literally be nothing without your help, so please send me any news of things Irish or Canadian Irish that you think would be of interest to our readers. I look forward to seeing you in Ottawa, which promises to be a great conference (particularly if we get a paper comparing Derry and Iqualuit!) Thanks again and all the best,

Sean Farrell
Sfarrel1@niu.edu

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR IRISH STUDIES CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Nominations are being sought for President and Secretary/Treasurer.

A Nominations Committee consisting of Cecil Houston (chair), Brian Rainey and Ninian Mellamphy has been struck.

Please keep in mind the following requirements of the Constitution:

1. Nominations should be in writing and should include the consent of the nominee and a brief (50 words) curriculum vitae.

2. Both the nominator and the nominee must be members in good standing for at least one year prior to the date of nomination.

If no more than one nomination is received for each position, then each so nominated will be declared elected by acclamation. Otherwise, ballots will be mailed with respect to the positions not so acclaimed and results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting in 2005.

Nominations and other documents requried must be received by email or by post, and postmarked no later than January 16, 2006.

Send to:

CAIS Nominations Committee
c/o Ashima James,
University of Windsor
Windsor, Canada N9B 3P4

OR: ashima@uwindsor.ca

Nomination Forms available from our website at www.irishstudies.ca .