March International folklorist to deliver University of Galway’s inaugural Máire Mhac an tSaoi Lecture

Renowned folklorist and scholar Professor Henry Glassie will deliver the inaugural Máire Mhac an tSaoi Distinguished Lecture in Irish Studies at University of Galway.

Organised by the University’s Centre for Irish Studies, the lecture ‘At Work in the Irish Field’ will take place on Thursday March 20^th at 4pm in Room G010, the Hardiman Building on campus.

This is the first in the newly established Máire Mhac an tSaoi Distinguished Lecture in Irish Studies. It has been organised as part of a year of celebrations to mark the 25-year anniversary of the establishment of the Centre for Irish Studies at University of Galway. Máire Mhac an tSaoi (1922 -2021) was one of the leading Irish poets of the 20^th century and Honorary Professor of Irish Studies at the University of Galway from 2005.

            Professor Louis de Paor, Director of the Centre for Irish Studies at University of Galway, said: “Professor Henry Glassie is among the most influential living folklorists. It is an extraordinary honour to have him return to the University of Galway to give the inaugural Máire Mhac an tSaoi Distinguished Lecture. His career, and in particular his work in Ireland, stands apart in the canon of Irish folklore studies. The Centre for Irish Studies is delighted to host this event.”

Professor Emeritus of Folklore at Indiana University, Professor Glassie’s groundbreaking Passing the Time in Ballymenone and The Stars of Ballymenone are deep considerations of the seasonal year in rural county Fermanagh. He prioritises people and their ways of living in all of his work, and his longstanding interest in Ireland is matched by his extended fieldwork in, and writings on, vernacular practices of architecture, artisan crafting and people’s lives in Turkey, the United States, among other places.

Further information available irishstudies@universityofgalway.ie or Samantha Williams on 091 492051.

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