ACIS ELECTIONS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The Chair of the Nominations Committee, Michael Patrick Gillespie, has issued a call for nominations for candidates to serve on the 2001-2003 ACIS Executive Committee. The following offices are open to nominations: Vice-President and representatives in History, Literature, Social Science, Irish Language Celtic Studies and the Arts. The Committee is also soliciting nominations for a graduate student representative (pending membership approval in a fall referendum) to the Executive Committee. Any ACIS member eligible to vote (dues paid as of 1 December 2000) may nominate any other eligible member. However, any ACIS member may nominate only one candidate for each office, and no member of the Nominations Committee may be nominated. The letter of nomination, sent to Michael Patrick Gillespie -- Dept. of English, Marquette University, PO Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 -- must be postmarked no later than 1 December 2000. A copy of this notice can also be found on the ACIS Web site. The Web site also has a Form for Candidacy which must be submitted by the nominee before the nomination is considered complete.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

I think I speak for all in attendance when I say we had a lovely time in Limerick. The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, honored us by officially opening the conference. Our hosts were lavish in the care and attention they bestowed on us, the sessions were lively and stimulating, and we got some substantial business done at our business meeting (see the full text of the minutes below).

Special attention was paid by the Executive Committee and the general membership meeting paid special attention to how we can better nurture and serve our graduate student members. We unanimously approved, for example, the institution of the Adele Dalsimer Prize (see below) for the best dissertation in Irish Studies. We also increased the national treasury’s contribution to the regional executives with the expressed hope that the additional monies would be used to underwrite graduate student expenses at regional conferences. We are reducing membership dues for graduate students from $28 to $15. And finally, the membership at Limerick unanimously endorsed amending the by-laws to include a graduate representative on the Executive Committee. Such a change requires two-thirds approval of all those voting in a mailed ballot. You will have or will just about have received your ballot when you get this Newsletter.

A new election to the Executive Committee is coming upon us, and in the event the by-law amendment passes, we have called for nominations for such a graduate representative, as the Call for Nominations above indicates. The nomination and election procedures for the next election have been approved by the membership and are posted on the ACIS Web page (www.acis.com), along with the names of the members of the nomination committee. Please collaborate with the nominations committee in fielding the strongest set of candidates the organization can muster. Any queries should be directed the Vice-President and Nominations Committee chair, Michael Patrick Gillespie.

The victors will be announced at our next annual meeting, hosted by Fordham University in New York City, 6-9 June 2001. There will be no conference hotel (it being New York after all) so you may wish to make your own accommodation arrangements early. There is an attempt under way to provide low-cost rooms for graduate students. A conference Web page is currently under construction at www.fordham.edu/history/curtin/acis_2000.htm We have a home in 2002 as well: the Executive Committee unanimously accepted the invitation of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to host the ACIS annual meeting that year. It was suggested that information about who is getting jobs where in Irish Studies might be extremely useful generally and for graduate students in particular. Our Newsletter editor, James Doan, would be happy to include such announcements here. As always, I encourage you to make use of our Web page (www.acisweb.com) not only to keep yourselves informed of the Executive Committee’s doings, but also to communicate to us with our own concerns and suggestions about promoting Irish Studies. We have just started a members’ home page directory that may prove useful. Please send your URLs to our secretary, Kathryn Conrad (kconrad@ukans.edu), if you wish to be included. Katie is eager as well for any suggestions about improving the Web page.

Finally, let me offer special thanks to Riana O’Dwyer, who for many years served as our international treasurer, and has decided to step aside. She will be replaced by Dáire Keogh, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. And we owe our gratitude, as well as our compliments, to James Doan on the completion of his first year as ACIS Newsletter Editor.

Collegially yours,

Nancy J. Curtin

President, ACIS

MINUTES FROM THE AGM, LIMERICK -- 1 JULY 2000

The ACIS Annual Business Meeting was called to order by President Nancy Curtin at 12:35 pm. Pres. Curtin thanked the organizers of the Limerick conference.

Book Awards Presentation:

James Donnelly Prize: Dermot Keogh, Jews in Twentieth-Century Ireland

Donald H. Murphy Prize: Peter Hart, The IRA and Its Enemies: Violence and Community in Cork, 1916-1923

Michael J. Durkan Prize: Gerry Smyth, Decolonization and Criticism

President’s Report (see above).

Conor Johnston presented the Executive Committee's unanimous recommendation to create a prize in memory of Adele Dalsimer, which, with the approval of the general membership, will be presented annually for Best Dissertation in Irish Studies.

Moved: That ACIS establish, in memory of Adele Dalsimer, an award to be made annually for the Best Dissertation in Irish Studies. The motion passed unanimiously.

Treasurer's Report:

Brennan reported that ACIS is in sound financial shape. She noted the following:

ACIS income comes largely from membership dues and some contributions. Dues were down this year, in part because it took longer than expected to put the membership survey together; she suggested that some members may have been confused about what year's dues they were paying.

ACIS, as of May 2000, has 1298 members; a number have joined since; this number includes those have not paid their dues. Persons who had not paid in three years were deleted from the database. We have approximately 100 new members. The drop in membership seems to be graduate students who had joined to participate in conferences and who had chosen not to renew.

We now have a renewal form on the Web site, which should make it easier for people to renew; members will also get a renewal notice in August or September. We will also allow two- and three-year membership renewal options.

She announced two recommendations from the Executive Meeting:

1) That ACIS reduce membership fees for graduate student memberships (currently $28, only a $2 discount) to $15.

2) That the ACIS national organization increase the contribution to the regional conferences from $500 to $1000, which we encourage the regional organizers use to make it easier for graduate students to attend conferences (e.g. fee discounts, accommodation discounts). There was a motion to accept the Treasurer's Report.

David Miller proposed the following amendment to the Treasurer's Report: ACIS shall authorize the International Treasurer in Ireland to make arrangements for collecting dues amounts from the international members in the appropriate currency. There was discussion about the reasons for the higher cost of international membership, including the cost of sending international mailings; the membership decided to let the International Treasurer make this decision. Miller's amendment passed: 55 yes, 1 no, 4 abstentions.

The motion to accept the Treasurer's Report carried unanimously.

Committee Reports:

A. Elections (Chair, Michael Patrick Gillespie). Gillespie moved that the Report be accepted; motion seconded.

Discussion: Minority Report (Bob Mahony). Mahony moved that we have a postal ballot to the entire membership on the issue of general election slating. In the ballot would be included the arguments for and against slating. Motion seconded.

Gillespie noted that the committee's charge was to formalize past practice which has worked well. He also noted that it would be difficult to implement changes for the next election. Mahony and Johnston agreed that they need not be implemented in time for the next election. Miller and Curtin both suggested that the next business meeting might be a better forum, allowing the minority report group more time to craft ballot text and publicize this issue, which could then be brought before the membership at the ACIS national meeting at Fordham. The motion was withdrawn and the issue will be brought up again at Fordham ACIS.

The motion to accept the Election Committee Report carried, with 4 abstentions.

B. Bylaws (Chair, Sean Moran). The Bylaws are in the midst of ongoing review. The committee will report at Fordham. Any members with concerns or suggestions for the Bylaws committee should direct comments to Sean Moran, Steve Watt or Michael Gillespie. The ACIS bylaws are posted on the ACIS Web site.

Maureen O'Connor made the following motion (seconded): That ACIS add one graduate student representative to the Executive Committee; the 4-year membership requirement would be waived. The following amendment was then moved and seconded: That there be two graduate students, four nominated for 2 positions; top 2 vote-getters would be elected. The amendment was defeated (23 yes, 32 no, 2 absentions).

The original motion to include one graduate student representative on the Executive Committee carried unanimously. The membership will receive a ballot on this bylaw change in the fall.

C. Publications (Chair, Gillespie). Gillespie recommended that we do not renew the contract with UMass Press but that we maintain an apparatus that allows us to produce an occasional volume. This strategy would allow ACIS more control over how the volumes are produced. Gillespie moved adoption of the publications committee report; motion seconded. There was discussion of the future of ACIS publications. The motion carried with 2 abstentions.

New Business

The ballot will go out in late August/early September for the bylaw change noted above; if the change passes, the graduate student representative will be installed at Fordham ACIS.

Jim Doan encouraged submissions to Newsletter and noted his new address: doan@nova.edu.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:49 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathryn Conrad

Secretary, ACIS

IRISH STUDIES OPENING AT BOSTON COLLEGE

Boston College seeks a senior professor (associate or full) to join an established interdisciplinary Irish Studies program and teach in the English Department. They invite applications from candidates willing to take a leading role in further developing the program, while also participating in the department's undergraduate, MA and PhD programs. Candidates should have proven expertise in Irish literary and cultural history as well as in contemporary critical methodologies. They will begin reviewing applications September 15 and continue accepting them until the position is filled. The successful candidate will take up the position at Boston College in July of 2001 or July of 2002. Nominations and applications should be addressed to Philip O'Leary, Irish Search Chair, Department of English, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA. 02467. Boston College is an AA/EOE employer. For further information regarding Boston College’s English Department and Irish Studies Programs, please review their respective Web home pages: www.bc.edu/english and www.bc.edu/irish

REGIONAL MEETINGS

New England

This year's New England regional conference will be held at the College of Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, September 29-30. The conference theme will be "20th-Century Ireland: A Retrospective." The keynote speaker will be Prof. Jim Donnelly of the University of Wisconsin. The host is Jim Flynn, and the program co-ordinator Conor Johnston (vcjohnston@aol.com).

Midwest

The Fall 2000 Midwest regional ACIS meeting will be held at Oakland University, Detroit, October 13-14, 2000. The conference will be housed in the University's Meadowbrook Hall, a 110-room national historic treasure featured on the A&E network’s "Great Castles of America" series. As part of the home is a first-class gourmet restaurant, the conference banquet promises to be quite good. Contact Sean Farrell Moran (moran@oakland.edu ) for further information.

Western

The Western regional meeting will take place in Gig Harbor, WA, and on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, the weekend of October 13-15 with rooms at The Maritime Inn and the nearby B&B, "The Rose." The theme is "Ireland’s Children," and the featured participants include: Irish literature specialists Robert Dunbar and Celia Anderson, as well as Carole Redford and writer Laurel Holliday, author of Lives in the Cross-fire of Northern Ireland in the prize-winning Children of Conflict series. Photographer Rachel Brown will be exhibiting a new collection on Ulster’s children. For more information, contact Audrey S. Eyler (eyleras@plu.edu) or (253) 535-7225.

Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic regional meeting will be held October 27-28 at the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York, with the theme "Irish Unions in Literature, Politics and Society, 1800-2000." The keynote speaker will be Professor Nicholas Grene, newly appointed to the newly revived Chair in English Literature at Trinity College that was first held by Edward Dowden. For further information, contact Bob Mahony (Maunsel99@aol.com).

Southern

The Southern regional meeting will be held February 8-10, 2001, at the Sea Turtle Inn, Atlantic Beach, FL, hosted by the University of North Florida. The conference theme, "Mother Ireland," suggests the image of Ireland as mother, maternal, female. Proposals for papers and sessions which relate in some way to this theme, disciplinary and transdisciplinary, are particularly encouraged, though proposals on other topics are also welcome. Highlights will include a screening of the 1998 documentary film, Mother Ireland, introduced by the researcher and director, Anne Crilly of Derry, along with a panel discussion on how Ireland has - or has not - changed since the making of the film. Featured poets who will read from their work include: Dennis O’Driscoll (1999 winner of the Lannan Poetry Prize) and Julie O’Callaghan. Send one-page proposals by October 1 to: Professor Richard Bizot, Coordinator, Irish Studies; University of N. Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road, South; Jacksonville, FL 32224.

ACIS AT MLA

The following is the tentative schedule for the ACIS panels at this year’s MLA conference, to be held in Washington, D.C.:

Friday, December 29 - 1:45 - 3:00 p.m. - Park Tower Suite 8209, Marriott Wardman Park, "Irish Gothic and Modernity"

Saturday, December 30 - 1:45 - 3:00 p.m. - Thomas Paine, Marriott Wardman Park, "Material Histories and Modern Irish Poetry"

ACIS AT AHA

The following sessions sponsored by ACIS will be held at the AHA meeting in Boston:

Friday, January 5 - 9:30-11:30 a.m. - Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon J, "No More Paddy, Biddy, or Ballyhoo: Protest and Negotiation in the Representation of Ireland and Irish America in American Popular Culture" (co-sponsored with AHA)

Friday, January 5 - 2:30-4:30 p.m. - Westin Hotel, Parliament Room, Session 2, "Philanthropic Rivalries: Competition Between Catholic and Protestant Charitable Organizations in Ireland and Irish America"

In addition, there will be a reception, Friday January 5, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., in the Westin Hotel, Nausett Room.

O’HEGARTY COLLECTION ONLINE

The O’Hegarty Collection of 17th-20th century Irish printed matter (and some manuscripts) in the Spencer Library, University of Kansas, may now be accessed via the on-line catalog of KU at: http://catalog.lib.ukans/edu/

CONFERENCE NEWS

NAACLT

The North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers (NAACLT) met at the University of Limerick, June 22-25, 2000. Next year’s meeting will be June 8-10, 2001 at St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ. The deadline for proposals is January 15, 2001. Contact: Thomas Ihde, Middle & High School Education, Lehman College, CUNY, 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West, Bronx, NY 10468-1589. For more information, check the Web site: www.naaclt.org or e-mail: conference@naaclt.org

DIALECT2000: Language Links

The 6th International Conference on the Languages of Scotland and Ulster (6ICLSU) and the 2nd International Conference on the Languages of Ireland (2ICLI) were held jointly August 9-16, 2000, at Queen’s University, Belfast. The organizers were Dr. John M. Kirk and Prof. Dónall Ó Baoill. The conference included a day-long session on language and politics with particular emphasis on ethnolinguistics, seen as an opportunity to focus on the growing politicization of linguistic rights in both Ireland and Scotland, and the response by the various national and devolved governments.

NCIS

The National Coalition of Independent Scholars (NCIS), affiliated with the American Council of Learned Societies, will hold their annual conference, entitled "Independent Scholars: The Public Intellectuals of the Future," in Raleigh, North Carolina, October 27-29. For further details, contact Thomas C. Jepsen, Program Chair, 515 Morgan Creek Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514-4931; 919-933-0377; e-mail: tjepsen@mindspring.com, or see the NCIS website at http://www.ncis.org

The Irish Diaspora

Along with the University of North London’s Irish Studies Centre, the British Association for Irish Studies will hold a conference on the Irish Diaspora, November 3-4, 2000. The aim of the conference is to assess Irish migration and diaspora research in terms both of its placement in wider diaspora studies and its internal rationale, processes, debates and methods. Invited speakers include Hasia Diner, Luke Gibbons, David Fitzpatrick, David Lloyd and Bronwen Walter. The recent upsurge of interest in the Irish diaspora forms part of a wider emphasis on transnationalism and globalization and the inter-related themes of race, ethnicity and migration. For further information, contact Dr Mary Hickman, Irish Studies Centre, University of North London, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB; fax: 020 7753 7069; e-mail: m.hickman@unl.ac.uk.

Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland

On the theme, "Victoria’s Ireland? Irishness and Britishness 1837-1901," the conference will take place at the University of Southampton, April 20-22, 2001. Taking advantage of the centenary of Queen Victoria’s death, the conference will investigate the relationships between Ireland and Britain in the course of her long reign. Submissions are welcome from all with an interest in the history and culture of Victorian Ireland. Please send abstracts (250 words maximum) by December 31 to: Dr. Peter Gray, Department of History, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK; tel: 023 8059 2242; fax: 023 8059 3458; e-mail: p.gray@soton.ac.uk

Crime and Punishment

The School of Languages and Literature/An Scoil Teanga agus Litríochta, University College, Cork, will hold the 10th annual conference on cross-currrents in literature, film and visual arts May 4-6, 2001. Abstracts (ca. 250 words) on the theme of "Crime and Punishment" should be sent by October 31 to: Dr. Grace Neville, Department of French, University College, Cork; tel.: 21 902581; e-mail: g.neville@ucc.ie

IASIL

The 2001 meeting of the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures will be held at Dublin City University, Glasnevin, from 30 July to 3 August. The Conference, invoking the almost mythic resonance of the year, will seek to address themes and metaphors of travel and quest, as they manifest themselves across time and space, languages and cultures. In addition to the well-established conference format of keynote speeches and concurrent panels, there will be a generous choice, in both English and Irish, of film shows (classic and new Irish cinema), television work, as well as poetry readings, dance and dramatic presentations. Some events will be held at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. Proposals of approximately 500 words should be sent by 15 January 2001 to Dr. Barbara Freitag, School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland; e-mail: iasil2001@dcu.ie

NEW DIRECTOR OF IRISH PROGRAMS AT BC

Boston College has named distinguished Marquette University Dean and History Professor Dr. Thomas E. Hachey to be its first executive director of Irish programs. Hachey, who has served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Marquette since 1993, will be named a full professor and an endowed chairholder in the department of history, and will coordinate Boston College's Irish Studies Program, Irish Institute, and Irish initiatives of the John J.Burns Library. Hachey served ten years as director of the Western Civilization Program and fourteen years as chairman of the history department at Marquette. He has also authored and edited more than seven books on Irish and/or European history, and written scores of book reviews, chapters and articles on topics ranging from Irish nationalism to contemporary European issues. Hachey began his administrative role as executive director of Irish programs at Boston College on August 1. He will begin teaching in the history department in Sept. 2001.

GEORGE MITCHELL SCHOLARSHIPS

Applications for the George J. Mitchell Scholarships to study at institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland must be submitted to the US-Ireland Alliance by October 10 for the 2001-2002 academic year. This program was initiated in 1998 and named in honor of the former U.S. Senator's pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Partly funded by an endowment which the Irish Government contributed, the Mitchell program seeks to identify the next generation of American leaders and provide them with a year of study in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Selection Committee seeks candidates who demonstrate intellectual distinction, community service, and leadership potential. U.S. citizens who are college graduates and between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply. There are no restrictions on the field of study but must be available at the university elected by the applicant, whose undergraduate program should provide sufficient basis for advanced study in that field. Full program details and the application are available on the program Web site (www.mitchellscholar.org) along with profiles of the Mitchell Scholars selected for the 2000-2001 academic year. Additional questions can be addressed to Dell Pendergrast, Director, Mitchell Scholars; e-mail: dellp@us-irelandalliance.org or phone: (202) 261-7354.

RENEWALS, CHANGES OF ADDRESS & NEWSLETTER

Please note that the renewal form may be found on the ACIS Webpage (www.acisweb.com). Changes of address should be sent to the ACIS Treasurer, Monica Brennan (mbrennan@scjny.edu).

The deadlines for submitting items for the Newsletter are as follows: Aug. 15 (Fall issue), Nov. 15 (Winter issue) and Feb. 15 (Spring issue). The editor cannot guarantee placement of items received after those dates. Send submissions to doan@nova.edu

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