AMERICAN CONFERENCE for IRISH STUDIES, INC.

formerly AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR IRISH STUDIES

FOUNDED 1962

 

           Winter

 

PRESIDENT

Michael Patrick Gillespie

English - Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI 53201

 

VICE-PRESIDENT

John P. Harrington

Humanities - Rensselaer Inst.

Troy, NY 12180

 

SECRETARY

Kathryn Conrad

English - University of Kansas

Lawrence, KA 66045

 

TREASURER

David Gardiner

English - Creighton University

Omaha, NE 68178

 

Past President &

International Representative

Nancy J. Curtin

Fordham University

 

History Representative

Robert Savage

Boston College

 

Literature Representative

Margot Gayle Backus

University of Houstons

 

Social Science Representative

Timothy J. Meagher

Catholic University of America

 

Irish Language Representative

Liam Ó Dochartaigh

 University of Limerick

 

Celtic Studies Representative

Philip Freeman

Washington University

 

Arts Representative

Charlotte Headrick

Oregon State University

 

Mid-Atlantic Representative

Robert Mahony

Catholic University of America

 

Midwest Representative

Sean Farrell Moran

Oakland University

 

New England Representative

Richard Finnegan

Stonehill College

 

Southern Representative

Edward Madden

University of South Carolina

 

Western Representative

Audrey Eyler

Pacific Lutheran University

 

Graduate Student

Fitz Smith

Washington University

 

Newsletter Editor

James Doan

Nova Southeastern University

 

2002

   ACIS

  NEWSLETTER

 

Dear Friends,

                

As I write, plans for the next ACIS election are well underway.  John Harrington and his committee have done a wonderful job, and I am confident that they will present us with a strong slate of candidates.  I hope that you will all take the time to cast your ballot when it arrives. 

     Jim Rogers, Tom Redshaw and their committee are moving forward with organization for the next ACIS national meeting in the Twin Cities.  They are offering a wonderful venue, and already they have received a wide range of extremely good paper proposals.  I think that you will find a great many interesting presentations on the program, and I know that Jim and Tom have planned to offer a fine variety of social activities.  I hope that you will all be able to attend.

     The ACIS and the James Joyce Foundation will again co-host a reception at the MLA.  The venue will be the Gotham Bookstore, and it will be a wonderful chance to spend an enjoyable evening during an otherwise extremely hectic conference.

     I have heard strong praise for the fall regional meetings, and I am grateful to the conference organizers for their hard work.  These meetings are important for the opportunities that they offer younger scholars and for the chance they provide to recruit new members.

     In closing let me again thank the members of the Executive Committee for their continuing support and tireless efforts.

                

Warm regards,

Michael

 

ACIS BOOK PRIZES FOR WORKS PUBLISHED IN 2001

     Adele Dalsimer Prize for Distinguished Dissertation

Robert Dogett, “‘Deep-Rooted Things’: Empire and Nation in the Poetry and Drama of William Butler Yeats” (University of Maryland).  Committee Chair: Timothy Meagher, Catholic University of America.

     James S. Donnelly, Sr., Prize for Books on History and Social Sciences

Timothy J. Meagher, Inventing Irish America: Generation, Class, and Ethnic Identity in a New England City, 1880-1928 (University of Notre Dame Press).  Runner-up: James H. Murphy, Abject Loyalty: Nationalism and Monarchy in Ireland During the Reign of Queen Victoria (Catholic University of America Press).  Committee Chair: Robert Savage, Boston College.

     Michael J. Durkan Prize for Books on Language or Culture

Sebastian D. G. Knowles, The Dublin Helix (University of Florida Press).  Maureen Waters, Crossing Highbridge (Syracuse University Press).  Committee Chair: Charlotte Headrick, Oregon State University.

     Robert Rhodes Prize for Books on Literature

Elizabeth Butler Cullingford, Ireland’s Others: Gender and Ethnicity in Irish Literature and Popular Culture (University of Notre Dame Press).  Runner-up: Gregory Castle, Modernism and the Celtic Revival (Cambridge University Press).  Committee Chair: Margot Gale Backus, University of Houston.

      Donald Murphy Prize for Distinguished First Book

David Gleeson, The Irish in the South (University of North Carolina Press).  Committee Chair: Philip Freeman, Washington University. 

 

(ACIS sponsors five prizes annually for books on Irish subjects published worldwide.  The Chair of the Prize committees for works published in 2001 and for works published in 2002 is John P. Harrington, Humanities, Rensselaer, Troy, NY 12180-3590; 518-276-6575; harrij2@rpi.edu.)

 

CONFERENCES

“Decline and Fall? Catholicism Since 1950 in the United States, the Republic of Ireland, and the Province of Quebec,” a multi-disciplinary conference to be held at Catholic University, Washington, DC, on March 21-22, 2003.  For more information, contact Leslie Tentler,  Department of History, Catholic University, Washington, DC 20064; e-mail: tentler@cua.edu.  The speakers include: on the U.S.: Scott Appleby (History/Notre Dame), James Davidson (Sociology/Purdue); on Ireland: Dermot Keogh (History/NUI, Cork), Lawrence Taylor (NUI, Maynooth); on Quebec: Kevin Christiano (Sociology/Notre Dame), Michael Gauvreau (History/ McMaster); on the comparative dimension: Michele Dillon (Sociology/U New Hampshire), Gregory Baum (Religious Studies/McGill).

“Reading the Emigrant Letter: Innovation Approaches and Interpretations,” an interdisciplinary conference to be held at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, on August 7-9, 2003.  In addition to proposals for 20-minute papers, participation is invited for panel discussions on the editing of emigrant letters, and for a panel on the digitization of such letters for electronic and Web access.  The Carleton University Art Gallery will mount an exhibition of letters and books on letters to complement the conference.  The conference  will be hosted by the Carleton Centre for the History of Migration.  Send a single-page proposal and biographical paragraph, preferably by e-mail, to: Bruce_Elliott@carleton.ca; fax (613) 520-2819.

 

ACIS at MLA

The Annual ACIS/Joyce Society MLA Cocktail Party will be held at New York City's Gotham Book Mart on Saturday, December 28, from 5-7 p.m.  The Party will be co-sponsored by the ACIS and the International James Joyce Foundation, this year with the generous assistance of Nicholas Fargnoli of the New York Joyce Society and Andreas Brown of the Gotham Book Mart.  The Gotham Book Mart is located at 41 W 47th Street (between 5th and 6th, north side, phone 212-719-4448).  From the Sheraton or the Hilton, go down 6th Ave. (Avenue of the Americas) to 47th, turn left on 47th and go almost half the block.  It will be on the left as you go east.

 

ACIS at AHA

Friday, January 3, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Women, Religion, and Power: Reexamining Gender, Culture, and Community in Modern Ireland (Hilton, Conference Room 4L), Chair: Patrick McDevitt, SUNYBuffalo.  Papers: “Crying out a Community: Mná Caointe (Keening Women), the Beansí (Banshee), and Sounds of Grief in the Wake of the Great Irish Famine,” Christina Brophy, BC; “The Clamor of the Women: Women, Priests, and Parish Conflicts in Catholic Ireland, 1850-1920,” Cara Delay, University of Delaware; “Women's Roles in Transition: The Deaconess Movement within the Irish Presbyterian Church, 1904-43,” Janice Holmes, University of Ulster, Coleraine.  Comment: Hasia Diner, New York University.

Saturday January 4: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Irish Quaker Women: New Perspectives (Palmer House, Clark 5), Chair: Mary O'Dowd, QUB.  Papers: “Friends and Neighbors: Religous Ethnic and Political Identity in Penal Ireland,” Kevin O'Neill, BC; “A Spirit of Independence: Quaker Women and Charity in 19th-Century Dublin,” Margaret Preston, Augustana College; “Quaker Women Historians in Ireland: Isabel Grubb and Rosamond Jacob,” Nadia Smith, BC.

 

GRIAN

The 5th annual GRIAN Conference on Irish Studies, on the theme “Irish Studies: Forged/Forging Youth,” will meet March 7-9, 2003,

at Glucksman Ireland House, New York University (1 Washington Mews, New York, NY).  Paper and panel proposals are due December 13, 2002.  Relevant papers from all disciplines are welcomed.  Those presented at the conference will be considered for publication in the fourth volume of Foilsiu, an Irish Studies journal.  In addition, travel

and/or housing assistance may be available for graduate student  presenters.  For information, or to propose a paper or panel, e-mail grianconference@hotmail.com.

 

CSANA

The 2003 meeting of the Celtic Studies Association of North America will be held at U.C. Berkeley on April 3-6 in conjunction with the annual U.C. Celtic Conference.  Guest speakers include Sioned Davies, Patrick Ford, Sarah Higley, Joseph Nagy, Diarmuid Ó Giolláin, and Oliver Padel.  One-page abstracts for papers of no more than 20 minutes should be submitted by January 15 to: Maria Teresa Agozzino (Mabli), Celtic Colloquium Chair, Celtic Studies Program, 6303 Dwinelle Hall, MC 2690, U. C. Berkeley, CA 94720.

The Canadian Association for Irish Studies / L’Association canadienne d’études irlandaises

The Canadian Association for Irish Studies (CAIS) solicits submissions for its 2003 conference to be held at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, on May 21-24.  With the topic “Ireland Old and New,” they are looking for a wide variety of papers from a broad spectrum of discourses.  Contributions on historical questions, political developments, literary analyses, broad cultural investigations, or presentations on specific issues in Irish literature, theatre, film, television, radio, music, visual arts, etc. are welcome.  A maritime province, New Brunswick is also Canada’s only officially bilingual province; thus, papers on the role of the Irish in the culture of the Maritime provinces and on bilingualism in Canada and Ireland would be especially welcome.  To propose a paper, send a short abstract, preferably via e-mail, in English or in French, and no later than February 1, 2003, to: Dermot McCarthy, Conference Chair, CAIS 2003, Department of English, Huron University College, 1349 Western Road, London, Ontario N6G 1H3, e-mail:

mccarthy@uwo.ca

 

Seventeenth Irish Conference of Medievalists

The conference will be held at St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny June 26-28, 2003.  Papers are invited on medieval archaeology, art, history, language, learning and literature.  Preference will be given to papers with a bearing on Irish and Insular medieval studies.  Papers should be either 45-50 minutes (10-15 minutes discussion) or 20-25 minutes (5-10 minutes discussion).  Proposals, including name of presenter, address, phone or e-mail, title of proposed paper, length of paper, brief abstract (max. 100 words) and equipment required, should be sent to Dr. Colman Etchingham, Dept. of History, NUI Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland; 353-1-7083816; fax: 353-1-7083314; e-mail: colman.etchingham@may.ie by February 28, 2003.

 

International Conference of the Society of Dance History Scholars This conference will be held at the Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland, from June 26-29, 2003,  the first time the conference has been held outside North America. Because of the conference's location it is expected that there will be a number of papers relating to Irish dance practices and Irish dance practitioners both in Ireland and in the diasporic locations of England, North America, Canada, Australia, etc. For further information, contact Dr Catherine Foley, The Irish World Music Centre, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland; e-maIl: catherine.e.foley@ul.ie

 

ACIS West

Next year’s meeting of ACIS West will take place on October 10-12, 2003, in Boise, Idaho.  Send abstracts and proposals to Helen Lojek, Department of English, MS 1525, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, 83725.

 

CALLS FOR PAPERS – JOURNALS AND COLLECTIONS

Etudes Irlandaises

The editorial board of Etudes Irlandaises is now seeking submissions: for vol. 28.1 (general issue) to be published in Spring 2003, and for Vol. 28.2 to be published in Fall 2003.  This issue will explore “Ireland / America in the 20th century” addressing the issue from a variety of perspectives and disciplines, such as literature, civilization, culture, history and the visual arts.  Possible topics include, but are not limited to: Irish-American poetry / novels / plays; The circulation and printing of Irish literature in America; Travel writings; The representation of Ireland in American movies; Irish studies in the US academic world; Irish popular culture in the USA; International relations between Ireland and the USA.  Articles in English or French should be no more than 12 pages (7000 words or 36,000 signs) in length.  Submissions (4 paper copies and PC or Mac disk) must be sent by Dec. 31, 2002 (Volume 28.1) or April 30, 2003 (Volume 28.2) to: Prof. Wesley Hutchinson, Institut Charles V, 10, rue Charles V, 75004 Paris, France. For further information, contact Dr. Bonafous-Murat: cbmurat@aol.com. For technical information regarding the journal style sheet, go to: http://etudes-irlandaises. septentrion.com.

 

Contemporary Irish-American Women Writers

Where are the contemporary women novelists in Irish Studies? Why is no one writing about them?  Not until Charles Fanning’s survey of Irish-American fiction from the 1760s to the 1980s, The Irish Voice in America, was there any extended, critical, contextualized discussion of these women.  Fanning’s closing chapter mentions popular novelists Colleen McCullough, Joan Bagnell, Carol OBrien Blum, and Caryl Rivers; discusses the works of Elizabeth Savage, Elaine Ford, Susanna Moore, Diana OHehir, Mary Gordon, and Ellen Currie; and pays tribute to Elizabeth Cullinan and Maureen Howard.  Despite Fanning’s survey and introduction, there were no collections of Irish-American women’s writing until 1997.  Caledonia Kearns’ Cabbage and Bones and her subsequent collection, Motherland, introduced short stories and excerpts from the novels of 20th-century Irish-American women. Little has been done since.

     Sally Barr Ebest and Kathleen McInerney are soliciting essays which will introduce the works of Irish-American women novelists for an edited collection entitled Contemporary Irish-American Women Writers.  In addition to the authors listed above, they are interested in the works of Alice McDermott, Joyce Carol Oates, Anna Quindlen, Alice Munro, Jean McGarry, Tess Gallagher, Maura Stanton, Mary McGarry Morris, Eileen Myles, Kathleen Ford, Eileen Fitzgerald, Valerie Sayers, Gabrielle Donnelly, Madelaine Blais, Maeve Brennan, Mary Doyle Curran, and Doris Kearns Goodwin.  Deadline for submission: July 1, 2003. Contact Sally Barr Ebest at sebest@umsl.edu or Kathleen McInerney at k-mcinerney@csu.edu.

 

NEW POSITIONS

The Center for Irish Programs at Boston College, on behalf of Irish Studies, announces openings in Irish Music and Language:  Ethnomusicology - a full-time, tenure-track position to begin in the Fall of  2003.  Expertise in Irish Traditional Music is essential, as well as some experience teaching world musics, and/or another area in ethnomusicology at the undergraduate level. Applicants should possess a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology;  Irish Language and Literature - a non-tenure track position to begin in Fall of 2003. As well as teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the successful candidate will work with the Burns Library as a manuscript processor and assist the Library in developing its Irish language collections.  Applicants must demonstrate a proven record of Irish language teaching, a high level of expertise in spoken and written modern Irish and a research interest in Irish writing. Ph.D. required.  Reviews of applications will begin on January 15, 2003. Applicants should submit a letter of application, cv. and three letters of recommendation. to: Robert Savage, Associate Director, Irish Studies, Connolly House, Boston College, Chestnut Hill MA  02467.  Boston College is an Aff. Action, EOE.  Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.  

 

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS

New York History Roundtable Scholarship

The John O'Connor Graduate Scholarship for 2002 for Distinguished Work in the History of the the Irish in the New York City Area is open to graduate students at the masters and doctoral levels.  The deadline for submissions has been extended to December 30, 2002.    Submissions should be primarily historical in character, though work completed in related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences will be considered.  The winning submission may be published in the journal, New York Irish History, and will receive an award of $500.00.  Submissions may be in any standard scholarly format and should be at least 4000 words in length, exclusive of footnotes and references, double-spaced and stapled.  Three copies should be sent with a one-page cv., a one-page faculty-advisor recommendation, and SASE to: New York Irish History Roundtable Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 2087, New York, N.Y. 10008-2087.

 

Summer Research Fellowship, Boston College

This fellowship will also allow the researcher access to the research facilities at Boston College and at other institutions in the Boston area, such as the Boston Public Library, the Massachusetts State Archive, and the John F. Kennedy Library.  Scholars studying in all fields of Irish Studies are invited to apply and should send: a letter of interest explaining the scholars research project and how this fellowship would enhance the applicant's scholarship; an updated c.v., and the names and contact information for two references.  Applications should be sent to Robert Savage, c/o Boston College Irish Studies Program, Connolly House, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. The deadline is December 15, 2002

 

SEMINARS

Folger Late-Spring Seminar on “Enlightenment and Its Others: The Enlightenment and its Others: Irish, British, and American Visions”

directed by Luke Gibbons (University of Notre Dame).  This seminar will discuss the history of the Enlightenment in the anglicized world in relation to its excluded others: Catholics, members of Gaelic culture, Indian culture, African Americans, and indigenous peoples in America and Australia, to name some of the most obvious historical examples.  The discussion throughout will be informed by contemporary debates on the question of cultural and human rights, and post-colonial public spheres.  Schedule: Thursdays and Fridays, 1 - 4:30 p.m., May 14 through June 13, 2003. Application deadline: January 2, 2003 for admission (and grants-in-aid for Folger Institute affiliates).  Application materials can be downloaded from The Folger Institute's Web site at www.folger.edu/institute.  Please contact The Folger Institute (institute@folger.edu) with any questions.

 

SUMMER SCHOOLS

44th Yeats International Summer School, Sligo

The Yeats Society of Sligo invites applications for next year’s school to be held July 27 to August 8.  It features lectures, small seminars and workshops, as well as a full social program.  Teaching faculty in 2003 include: Helen Vendler, Robert Tracy, Bruce Stewart, Ann Saddlemyer, James Pethica, Mitsuko Ohno, Riana O’Dwyer, K. P.  S. Jochum,  Richard Haslam, Margaret Mills Harper (Associate Director of YISS), Maurice Harmon, Richard J. Finneran, Anne Margaret Daniel, Patricia Coughlan, Nicola Gordon Bowe, Kevin Barry, and Jonathan Allison (Director of YISS).  As usual, there are no formal writing requirements at this school, but a lot of discussion. However, college academic credit (based on writing assignments) can be arranged.  Sam McCready will lead the Drama Workshop.  There will be a Poetry Workshop (to be arranged). For further information, see Web site: www.yeats-sligo.com or contact: Douglas Bridge, Secretary of the Yeats Society, Sligo, Ireland; tel: 353 (0)71 42693; e-mail: info@yeats-sligo.com or Jonathan Allison, Department of English, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington KY 40506; tel. 859-269-5024; e-mail: jalliso@uky.edu

 

BOOK NEWS

Christ in Celtic Christianity: Britain and Ireland from the Fifth to the Tenth Century, by Michel W. Herren and Shirley Ann Brown, gives a new interpretation of the nature of Christianity in Celtic Britain and Ireland from the fifth to the tenth century.  The written and visual evidence on which the authors base their argument includes images of Christ created in and for this milieu, taken from manuscripts, metalwork and sculpture and reproduced in this study.  The authors challenge the received opinion that Celtic Christians were in unity with Rome in all matters except the method of Easter reckoning and the shape of the clerical tonsure. They find, on the contrary, that the strain of the Pelagian heresy which rooted itself in Britain in the early fifth century influenced the theology and practice of the Celtic monastic churches on both sides of the Irish Sea for several hundred years, creating a theological spectrum quite distinct from that of continental establishments.  342pp, US $75.00.

 

Pens for Peace, published by the Irish Peace Institute (IPI) - a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in the Republic of Ireland devoted to promoting the peaceful reconciliation of conflict in Ireland through programs of education, research and outreach - contains reflections on the Peace Process and the current state of affairs in Ireland, North and South.  It includes contributions from a range of influential people in Ireland such as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, First Minister David Trimble, US Senator George Mitchell, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, and Community Activist Baroness May Blood.  All of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards the development of the Irish Peace Institute's Outreach Program which works to alleviate areas where tension exists between communities helping to promote the ongoing peace process.  The book may be purchased through Irish Books and Media (www.irishbook.com), via the Web at www.amazon.co.uk or directly from the Peace Institute by sending a check for $12.00 to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pens for Peace Book Orders, Irish Peace Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.

 

NEW WEB RESOURCES

Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) is pleased to announce Irish Resources in the Humanities (IRITH) (http://irith.org), an XML-based online gateway/finding aid.  Developed and maintained by Susan Schreibman since 1998 as a series of static Web pages, MITH recently converted the gateway into an advanced search interface with a dynamic database which allows users to access content through general subject headings (such as literature, history, art), or through an advanced search interface which provides for more sophisticated search combinations. For example, users can search by key words such as “The Famine” or “1798,” or through a combination of terms, such as “19th-century Art” or “Medieval History.”  Suggestions for links are always welcome. IRITH can be found at http://irith.org.

 

NEWS FROM ACIS MEMBERS

Rand Brandes of Lenoir-Rhyne College announces that he has received a Fullbright Research Fellowship for work at UCD from March to August 2003 dealing with “A Commentary on the Selected Poems of Seamus Heaney.”

Jim Cahalan's book, Edward Abbey: A Life (University of Arizona Press, 2001) - his biography of the American essayist, novelist, and

environmentalist – reviewed in some 50 periodicals, has recently received the Thomas J. Lyon Award from the Western Literature Association as the best book of the year in this field.