Events

The Centre for Irish Studies is delighted to announce a new New Doctoral Fellowship in Irish Music Studiesto be awarded for September 2016.

The Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway is delighted to announce the appointment of Páraic Ó hOibicín as Sean-nós Dancer in Residence for 2016. A native of Lettermuckoo, Connemara, Páraic Ó hOibicín is one of a generation of dancers who led the revival of sean-nós dance in the late twentieth century.  Key to Páraic’s style of dancing, is a faithful nod to older dancers and the tradition that he saw in his youth. He credits Máirtín Beag Ó Gríofa as the most important influence in his development as a sean-nós dancer. Páraic’s style is highly individual, with a lightness and individuality of step recognisable the world over.  Like many of his generation, Páraic was resident for a number of years in the UK, but returned to Lettermuckoo in 1984, and quickly reconnected with the dancing community of his youth through sean-nós and set dancing. A winner of the Oireachtas competition in 2004, Páraic is a sought after performer and teacher, and has been invited to give work-shops and master-classes of sean-nós dance nationally throughout Ireland, and indeed internationally, in Zurich and this year in America.  Among his many dance students over the years are two of his own children Patrick and Soina, who have both been successful in Oireachtas competitions, continuing the family tradition. During his residency, Páraic will participate in a series of performances and workshops at the Centre for Irish Studies and other venues in Galway.  A selection of his repertoire will also be recorded to deposit in the Sean-Nós Archive at the Centre for Irish Studies. A series of five sean-nós dance workshops will take place in An Taibhdhearc and commence on the 10 February 2016 and are free and open to all. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI, Galway. Here is a clip of Páraic in Ballydehob a number of years ago:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzVmrBj1SY

‌An Irish Republic?  What is a republic? Is Ireland a republic? Is the Republic of Ireland the kind of republic imagined by those involved in the Irish revolution and proclaimed in 1916? What is the role of religion, art, literature, and politics in creating an Irish civic society of the kind envisaged in that proclamation? These are just some of the questions to be addressed in a series of public interviews convened by the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway which will explore the contemporary relevance of the ideas and ideals that led to the formation of the Irish state. The interviews will be conducted by playwright Vincent Woods, presenter of Arts Tonight on RTÉ radio and will feature public figures who have committed their working lives to realising their own vision of an Irish republic. The first interview will be with socialist and republican activist and community worker Bernadette McAliskey, the youngest woman ever in the British House of Commons on her election in 1969. The full programme of Public Interviews is as follows:           Wed 6 April Bernadette McAliskey          Wed13 April Thomas Kilroy          Wed 20 April Fr Peter McVerry          Wed 27 April Robert Ballagh All of these events are open to the public and free of charge. AM 250 Ó hEocha Theatre, Arts Millennium Building, NUI Galway 6.30-8.00pm

Páraic Ó hOibicín, the newly appointed Sean-nós Dancer in Residence at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, will offer a series of five sean-nós dance workshops this Spring which will take place in An Taibhdhearc and commence at 7pm, on 10 February 2016.  A native of Lettermuckoo, Connemara, Páraic Ó hOibicín is one of a generation of dancers who led the revival of sean-nós dance in the late twentieth century.  Key to Páraic’s style of dancing, is a faithful nod to older dancers and the tradition that he saw in his youth. The workshops are free and open to all. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI, Galway.    

MA Scholarships now available for Irish Studies applicants at NUI Galway If you'd like to find out more and are interested in our MA in Irish Studies programmes please contact Dr Nessa Cronin at nessa.cronin@nuigalway.ie and click here http://www.nuigalway.ie/postgrad/scholarships/

Páraic Ó hOibicín, Sean-nós Dancer in Residence at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway in 2016, will offer a series of five sean-nós dance workshops this Autumn which will take place in An Taibhdhearc and commence at 7pm, on 21 September 2016.  A native of Lettermuckoo, Connemara, Páraic Ó hOibicín is one of a generation of dancers who led the revival of sean-nós dance in the late twentieth century.  Key to Páraic’s style of dancing, is a faithful nod to older dancers and the tradition that he saw in his youth. The workshops are free and open to all. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI, Galway.    

Sarah Ghriallais appointed as Sean-Nós Singer in Residence at NUI GalwayThe Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, is delighted to announce Sarah Ghriallas as Sean-nós Singer in Residence for 2017. Originally from Muiceanach, Sarah Ghriallais has long been acknowledged as a sean-nós singer of exceptional talent, winning the coveted Corn Uí Riada award at the Oireachtas for the first time in 1984. That same prize has also been taken home by her son Michael, her sisters Nóra and Nan, and her niece Celia Ní Fhátharta. Sarah’s was a household full of singing and music-making and she credits her parents, Pádraig and Máire, and her wider family with instilling her first love of singing.  Sarah particularly remembers her teacher, Treasa Bn. Uí Chartúir as being important in her development. Some of the songs which are most associated with Sarah include ‘Sagart na Cúile Báine’, Condae Mhaigh Eo’, ‘Táilliúir an Mhagaidh’ agus ‘Eileanóir na Rún’. To begin her residency, Sarah will give a series of five sean-nós singing workshops at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, beginning on Wednesday, 8 February at 7pm. Workshops are free and open to all. This scheme is run with the generous support of Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway.

Comhrá Ceoil and the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, are delighted to announce details of the first talk in this year’s Martin Reilly Lecture Series, which will be given by Dr Éamonn Costello at 6.30pm on Tuesday, 28 February 2017, at Galway City Library. ‘Muintir Chonamara agus Oireachtas na Gaeilge: The role of the Conamara Gaeltacht community in shaping Ireland’s oldest festival’ examines the engagement of the Gaeltacht community of Connemara with Oireachtas na Gaeilge throughout its history. Established in 1897, by members of the Gaelic League, the Oireachtas is Ireland’s oldest arts festival and is primarily concerned with promoting and celebrating the Irish language. However, for much of its history the native Irish speaking community, an Ghaeltacht, had little impact or input into the festival’s programme of events. This all changed in the early 1970s when the Conamara based civil rights movement, Gluaiseacht Cearta Siabhialta na Gaeltachta, turned the Irish language issue from being primarily a national/nationalist cause to one which was primarily concerned with minority rights. The actions of the Gaeltacht civil rights movement inspired the Conamara Gaeltacht community to appropriate/colonise the Oireachtas for a period in the 1970-1980s. This period of appropriation and the events leading up to it will be the focus of the talk. Éamonn Costello is originally from An Cheathrú Rua, in the Conamara Gaeltacht. An Irish traditional musician, he holds an MA and PhD in ethnomusicology, as well as a BA in Irish Music and Dance. Éamonn currently teaches Irish in the Irish language department of the School of Culture and Communication, at the University of Limerick; is secretary of the International Council for Traditional Music Ireland (ICTMIre); and is a founding member of TradSong, a research cluster based at UL. This series of talks is dedicated to Martin Reilly, the celebrated Galway uilleann piper, and gives an opportunity to researcher-practitioners in Irish traditional music and dance to present their work in a public forum.  The success of the series thus far confirms the interest in research of this kind in Galway, where traditional music and dance are part of the cultural fabric of the city. Free admission to all talks. 

‘Between dance and sculpture’: Regenerative body architecture workshops with Maureen FlemingNUI Galway is delighted to announce a series of movement and dance workshops led by acclaimed New York City choreographer and performance artist Maureen Fleming. The world renowned artist was granted a Fulbright Scholar’s Award to spend a semester at the Centre for Irish Studies where she is studying the sean-nós traditions of song and dance and developing new work which will incorporate aspects of Irish mythology and folklore.In an ecstatic review of her extraordinary performance in B. Madonna, The New York Times said she ‘seemed to transcend the material world and enter the world of pure spirit’. The New York Theater Review  was equally impressed, suggesting that Fleming ‘continually transcends theatrical expectations and constructs a state of perpetual presence … not unlike the effect of viewing the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls’. In addition to her work as a dancer and choreographer, Fleming has developed new techniques of regenerative work for anyone interested in developing movement through workshops that improve strength, flexibility and balance. The Centre for Irish Studies, in association with the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, will host a series of six workshops with Maureen Fleming. Beginning on Wednesday 8 March, the workshops will run from 7.00 to 9.00pm on Wednesdays and Thursday evenings for three weeks and are open to everyone. No previous experience is required, but places are strictly limited. The video below provides a demonstration of the original exercises Fleming has designed to develop efficient movement and increased flexibility/https://vimeo.com/user5682310/review/180757153/e858611478 For further information and to book a place on the workshop, contact Samantha Williams at 091 492051 or email Samantha.williams@nuigalway.ie

‌This month the Centre for Landscape Studies, NUI Galway, will host the UNISCAPE General Assembly and International Conference, Landscape Values: Place and Praxis from 29 June– 2 July 2016. The conference takes place on the first anniversary of the publication of Government of Ireland’s National Landscape Strategy 2015-2025, issued as part of its commitments under the European Landscape Convention which Ireland ratified in 2002. Working in association with the Heritage Council of Ireland and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the conference aims to reflect on how values attached to landscape get expressed at local and community level which in turn can be mobilised to shape national and European policy in the future. With 95 papers from 130 international experts, including colleague s from the North America, Japan, China and Australia, the conference will explore innovative ways in which values associated with place are shaped and made. Papers range from landscapes of wellbeing, the material culture of the Galway Hooker, to sustainable food tourism, and there promises to be something of interest to all. Sessions on policy and governance will also highlight new models of spatial planning and decision-making that honour the full suite of values associated with places in which communities live across Europe today. Delegates will also participate in 4 full-day site visits to community-led projects in the west of Ireland, across counties Galway, Mayo, Clare and Offaly as part of the conference programme. UNISCAPE is the European network of universities especially dedicated to the implementation of the European Landscape Convention (Council of Europe, Florence 2000). The aim of its 53 constituent institutions is to support and reinforce interdisciplinary co-operation within and among European universities regarding landscape issues, especially in the areas of research and education. On the importance of hosting the UNISCAPE General Assembly in Ireland, Chairman of the Heritage Council of Ireland, Conor Newman said that: “The presence here of UNISCAPE sends out a strong signal about the role that universities across Europe are playing in the delivery of the European Landscape Convention. UNISCAPE is a key partner of the Council of Europe’s Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape. This committee met in Strasbourg last week to sign off on the European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the 21st century, foregrounding the connection between the Landscape Convention and the Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society. This conference is an opportunity to tune in to this wider, international dialogue, to learn from the experience of others, and to showcase the Irish situation.” Responding to the invitation to host the General Assembly and Conference in Ireland this year, Director of UNISCAPE, Professor Bas Pedroli said that ‘We are really looking forward to meeting our international delegates of various disciplinary backgrounds in Galway this summer. The engagement of the Centre for Landscape Studies of the National University of Ireland in Galway promises an excellent working atmosphere both in the university and out on site with the field-visits to community projects in the region. This will certainly enhance a better understanding of the Irish landscape within its own particular parameters while also discussing broader European contexts as well.’ Other events associated with the conference include, a screening of Fís na Fuiseoige, a documentary film exploring the connection between people and place which won Best Cinematography at the San Francisco Earth Day Film Festival and the launch of Gearóid Ó hAllmhúráin’s new work in Irish Music Studies, Flowing Tides: History and Memory in an Irish Soundscape, published by Oxford University Press. The opening night of the conference will also see the launch of Iarsma: Fragments from an Archive, the Artist-in-the-Archive Project at the Tim Robinson Archive now housed in the James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway. Devised by Dr Nessa Cronin at the Centre for Irish Studies, Iarsma is the culmination of the collaborative work of visual artist Deirdre O’Mahony, choreographer Ríonach Ní Néill, and composer Tim Collins. All are welcome to attend the performance at 8pm Wednesday 30 June in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society, NUI Galway. For further information see http://www.conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=448 or contact placeandpraxis@gmail.com Conference Booklet Landscape Values - Field excursions‌‌  

    ‘WILDFLOWERS Encounter (Casadh)’, by internationally acclaimed choreographer and dance artist Maureen Fleming, will be presented at 8:00 PM on 30 June 2017 at the O’Donoghue Centre, NUI Galway. Featuring original music by composer and musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire, this presentation is the first ‘encounter’ (work in progress) between these groundbreaking artists and is the culmination of Fleming’s Fulbright in Ireland. Louis de Paor, Director of the Centre for Irish Studies, will conduct an interview with the artists following the ‘Encounter (Casadh) presentation.   In lyrical, sculptural transcendence, Maureen Fleming invents surreal movement poetry that changes how we think of the human body. Fleming’s new monomyth: ‘WILDFLOWERS’ is a series of vision poems inspired by the mythology surrounding the eternal, otherworld feminine of Ireland. The completed work will premiere at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre in New York City in Fall 2018 and the O’ Shaughnessy in the Twin Cities in Spring 2019.   Fleming has spent a semester at the Centre for Irish Studies and at Drama and Theater Studies, NUI Galway where she taught her original dance form and studied sean-nós traditions of song and dance, developing new work incorporating aspects of Irish mythology and folklore.   Fleming's ‘WILDFLOWERS’ is a three-stage international collaborative project between choreographer and dance artist Maureen Fleming and composer and musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire. Research and development will begin with support from the Irish Arts Council Traditional Music Commission and the Fulbright Commission in Summer 2017 and will develop through an ‘Encounter (Casadh)’ process where elements of set, light, music and choreography are staged and open to the public at various times and venues.   The first 'Encounter (Casadh)' in Ireland will be presented at the O’Donoghue Centre, NUI Galway by producer Marianne Ní Chinnéide with direction, choreography & performance by Maureen Fleming, music composition and performance by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, videography by Colm Hogan, light & visual design by Christopher Odo. This ‘Encounter (Casadh)’ is made possible with support from the Irish Arts Council Traditional Music Commission; Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs through the Fulbright Commission; Centre for Irish Studies NUI Galway; Drama and Theatre Studies NUI Galway; Arts in Action; and the Galway City Council.   Reservations can be made via Eventbrite. Seating is limited and reservations are required.   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wildflowers-encounter-casadh-tickets-35233134253   For additional information on Maureen Fleming: www.maureenfleming.com

The Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway will host a series of sean-nós singing workshops starting Wednesday, 27 September.  The workshops will be taught by Sarah Ghriallais, the recently appointed Sean-nós Singer in Residence at NUI Galway for 2017. Sarah who is originally from Muiceanach, Camus, is a renowned sean-nós singer with exceptional talent, a previous winner of the prestigious Corn Uí Riada, the premier sean-nós singing competition at the Oireachtas. Sarah’s singing has also featured on stage, in documentaries and in films. Sarah will give a series of five sean-nós singing workshops at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. The first workshop in this series will take place on Wednesday, 27 September at 7pm. Workshops are free and open to all. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway. 

The Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, has announced the appointment of Tomás Ó Neachtain as Sean-Nós Singer-in-Residence in 2018. Born and raised in Coilleach, An Spidéal, Tomás is part of a family which has a long and rich tradition of sean-nós singing. It is from his father, Tomás, that he heard and learned most of his singing, and indeed his father had learned from his father before him. Though he briefly spent time in England as a young married man, it is in Coilleach that Tomás and his wife Nancy have reared their own family. His son Seosamh, a renowned sean-nós dancer and musician, was appointed as the first Sean-nós Dancer in Residence at the Centre for Irish Studies in 2009. Tomás’s distinct, clear, sweet vocal style echoes the singing he heard in his youth. His repertoire is wide and varied, but he particularly favours big songs such as ‘An Droighneán Donn’, ‘Tomás Bán Mac Aogáin’ and ‘An Chaora Ghlas’. Tomás gives singing workshops and is two-time winner of Corn Uí Riada in 1980 and 1981. During his time as artist-in-residence, Tomás will deliver a series of workshops at NUI Galway and will contribute to the expanding Sean-Nós Archive Collection. The workshops are free and open to the public and take place in the autumn and spring of 2018-19. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway. Tomás Ó Neachtain Ceaptha mar Amhránaí Cónaitheach ag OÉ Gaillimh Tá sé fógartha ag Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh, OÉ Gaillimh, go bhfuil Tomás Ó Neachtain ceaptha mar Amhránaí Cónaitheach Sean-nóis i mbliana. Rugadh agus tógadh Tomás i gCoilleach, sa Spidéal. Chaith sé seal i Sasana mar fhear óg, ach is sa Choilleach a thóg sé féin is a bhean chéile Nancy a gclann: Tomás, Eoghan, Máire, Seán agus Seosamh, an rinceoir. Bhí an teach inar tógadh Tomás lán d’amhránaíocht agus thug sé leis go leor amhrán óna athair, Tomás, a shealbhaigh an traidisiún áirithe sin óna athair féin. Tá cúigear deirfiúir ag Tomás, ach is eisean an t-aon duine amháin den gclann a chuaigh leis na hamhráin. Dar ndóigh, ceapadh a mhac Seosamh mar Rinceoir Cónaitheach Sean-nóis in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh sa bhliain 2009, an chéad duine riamh ar bronnadh an gradam sin air. Nuair a chasann Tomás amhrán, cloistear guth ard binn glan agus stíl a athar ann. Is breá le Tomás na hamhráin throma a chanadh: ‘An Droighneán Donn’, ‘Tomás Bán Mac Aogáin’ agus ‘An Chaora Ghlas’, amhráin a tháinig anuas ó ghlúin go glúin ag muintir  Neachtain. Tugann Tomás ceardlann ó am go ham, agus bhuaigh sé Corn Uí Riada dhá uair, i 1980 agus 1981. Beidh sraith ceardlann á múineadh ag Tomás san Ollscoil sa bhFómhar agus arís san Earrach agus beidh a chuid amhrán á dtaifeadadh aige don gcartlann sean-nóis atá á bailiú ag Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh. Is iad Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Chomhairle Ealaíon agus Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh, OÉ Gaillimh, a mhaoiníonn an tionscnamh seo.