It  was just one example of Ireland’s political globalisation in the early days of independence. As the originator of the idea of the Congress of the Irish Race, Thomas Hughes Kelly of New York, declared: ‘Ireland’s future is not limited to its geographic boundaries. She gave away to the world her strongest and most trustworthy sons. Now we compensate her with our support, which is the first offspring of that prolific seed’.

But I digress – below is the call for papers. I’ll post up more info when I find out more.

INTERNATIONAL IRISH DIASPORA CONGRESS

Buenos Aires (Argentina) — From 15th to 19th of June 2011.

Official Notification: Presentation of Papers- 1st Call

In June of 2011, the 1st International Irish Diaspora Congress will take
in the City of Buenos Aires, exactly 90 years after a meeting of a
similar nature took place in 1921. The principal objective of next
year’s Congress is to stimulate cultural exchange and share experiences
between Irish Associations and people.

Each participating Institution is asked to give a brief account of
current activities and its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats. Learning how the Irish Community has integrated into each
specific Country-Destination will be of general interest, too.
Participating individuals or Associations are invited to present
speeches and/or lectures on the topic of cultural diversity of emigrants
and their descendents.

The Department of Irish Culture from the Universidad Nacional de La
Plata (UNL) & the Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales
(UCES) will provide the academic framework for these expositions. The
papers submitted for consideration must relate to any one of the
following topics:

- The Irish Diaspora
- Literature and the Irish Emigrant (essays, short stories, novels, poetry)
- History of Irish Emigration in each country
- Fundraising for Irish Associations (experiences, tips)
- Irish Education abroad
- Irish Dance & Music (experiences)
- Business and Work opportunities for Irish Descendents Abroad

Those who are interested in participating must submit an abstract before
February 1, 2011, written in English, of no more than 300 words, on any
of the aforementioned topics.

The proposals that are deemed adequate (given general interests and the
length of the Congress) have until May 15, 2011 to send the paper in
full to the Department’s inbox.

The Academic Committee will be comprised of people with great knowledge
on the subjects to be discussed, including professors from the UNL and
the UCES.

For more info: http://www.asociacionirlandesa.com.ar/?lang=en or
asoargirl@yahoo.com.ar

Eleventh Literature of Irish Exile Autumn School: Saturday 16 October 2010

If you don’t already have the date in your diary, we hope you may take a
look at what is on offer and consider putting it there now:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/cms/events/LIE_Oct_2010.htm

The day, Saturday 16 October, will have the usual shape of a keynote lecture
in the morning in the Library of the Centre for Migration Studies; after
lunch a guided walk in the outdoor museum of the Folk Park; and a concluding
lecture and discussion in the Library.

Dr Fred Freeman, our keynote lecturer, is based at Edinburgh University and
an expert on Robert Tannahill (1774-1810), the Scottish weaver poet, hailed
as a successor to Burns, whose bicentenary is being celebrated this year. We
look forward to hearing about Tannahill’s spirited defence of Irish
immigrant weavers in Scotland.

The focus of the walk in the outdoor museum, growing out of Paddy
Fitzgerald’s lecture this summer to the William Carleton Summer School, will
be, with the help of Folk Park guide Walter McFarlane, on the role of
hedge-schools in preparing migrants.

Sean McCartan, one of our distinguished Irish Migration Studies graduates,
received a signal honour this year in being invited to France to speak about
his researches on the Irish ancestry of President de Gaulle. We look forward
to finding out how he fits into the migration story of the McCartan family.

We do hope you may be able to join us.

Brian Lambkin
Director

Christine Johnston
Senior Library Asst
Centre for Migration Studies
Ulster American Folk Park

Tel: 028 8225 6315
Fax: 028 8224 2241
Email: christine.johnston@librariesni.org.uk

The conference is being held in the Samuel Beckett seminar room at the Samuel Beckett Centre.

This project is supported by the Trinity College Dublin Long Room Hub Research Initiative Funding Scheme, and there is no attendance fee.

If you would like to be kept up to date with the project, please email your name to the project director, Dr Ruth Barton (ruth.barton@tcd.ie)

Provisional Schedule

9.15: Seminar opening

9.30‐10.50:
Dr Marcus Free, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick:
On the Edge: the Irish in Britain as a Troubled and Troubling Presence in the Work of Jimmy McGovern and Alan Bleasdale

Dr Paula Gilligan, IADT:
‘Free Agents-mobile reflexive and white’; Representation of the
‘Professional’ Irish Women in Contemporary Popular English TelevisionDrama.

Dr Pat Brereton, Dublin City University
Fictional representations of the Irish in Contemporary British TV Drama: A case study of EastEnders [1997 special set in Ireland] and Father Ted et al.

10.50‐11.15: Coffee break

11.15‐12.15
Prof Charles Barr, University College Dublin
Ealing’s View of Ireland

Daniel Fitzpatrick
Reexamining Sister Clodagh’s ‘Irishness’ in Black Narcissus (1947)

12.15‐1.15:
Dr Lance Pettitt, Leeds Metropolitan University:
Between Archive and Anecdote: Towards an Exilic History of Irish Cinema in England

1.15‐2.15 – Lunch break

2.15‐3.35
Prof John Hill, Royal Holloway, University of London
The Irish and Working-class ‘Authenticity’ in the films of Ken Loach

Prof Bronwen Walter, Anglia Ruskin University
Including the Irish: taken-for-granted representations of the Irish in England

Prof Martin McLoone, University of Ulster
Why Didn’t Kevin Keegan play for Ireland? Contrasting Narratives of the Irish in Britain

3.35‐3.55: Coffee Break

3.55 – 5.15
Zélie Asava, University College Dublin
‘No blacks, no dogs, no Irish’: being black and Irish in Neil Jordan’s Britain

Emmie McFadden, Sheffield Hallam University,
Hyde and Seek: English-Irish Hybridity in Stephen Frears’ Mary Reilly

Padraic Killeen, Trinity College Dublin
Stained Flesh – Ireland As Idyll / Damp Patch in Mike Leigh’s Naked

5.15‐6.45:
Deirdre Lynch, Dublin Institute of Technology:
‘ReConfiguring Elderly Male Irish Immigrants in London through
Ethnographic Film Practice’

Screening: I Only Came Over for a Couple of Years… (2003)
Dir: David Kelly, Prod: Tony Murray
This film will be introduced by Dr Tony Murray, London Metropolitan University

Visit related websites:

• Screening Irish-America
• Screening Irish America: Representing Irish-America in Film and Television: book by Ruth Barton
• Screening the Irish in Britain – event notice

Organisers have issued a call for papers for an upcoming conference:

We invite interested academics to participate in a symposium/workshop to be held at Trinity College Dublin on Saturday 26 September 2009. Speakers
confirmed to date include:

• Professor John Hill (Royal Holloway, University of London)
• Dr Lance Pettitt (Leeds Metropolitan University)

We welcome interdisciplinary and subject-specific approaches and hope to
develop a dialogue between this topic and other topics associated with Irish
diaspora studies.

Proposals should be limited to around 200 words and be accompanied by brief biographical details.

If you would like to be kept up to date with the project, please email your
name to the project director, Dr Ruth Barton (ruth.barton@tcd.ie)

All proposals should be sent to ruth.barton@tcd.ie.

This project is supported by the Trinity College Dublin Long Room Hub
Research Initiative Funding Scheme.

Visit related website:

• Screening Irish-America
• Screening Irish America: Representing Irish-America in Film and Television: book by Ruth Barton

The Migration and Remittances team of the Development Economics Prospects Group and the Migration Working Group of the World Bank are organizing an International Conference on Diaspora and Development on July 13-14, 2009.

The diaspora of developing countries can be a potent force for development for their countries of origin, through remittances, but more importantly, through the promotion of trade, investments, knowledge and technology transfers. The conference aims to consolidate research and evidence on these issues with a view to formulating policies in both sending and receiving countries.

The Keynote session will focus on the “Impact of the Crisis on Migration and Remittances”, while there will be other sessions on

• Diaspora as a strategy for the global mobility of skills
• Contributions of unskilled diaspora to development
• Mobilising diaspora investments
• Deepening diaspora ties
• Mobilising highly-skilled diaspora
• Working with diaspora and diaspora associations
• Diaspora actions
• Collective remittances: country experiences
• Circular migration and returns

The agenda notes there will be an (unnamed) representative from Ireland speaking as part of the panel discussion on diaspora ties.

Visit Conference website.

The conference will feature historians of society and sport from Ireland and overseas. In addition to the diaspora, they will discuss such topics as hurling’s ancient roots, the socio-economic background of players, the GAA in film and photography, the GAA and the Irish language, and the GAA and politics.

The conference will be held at the GAA Museum in Croke Park. Tickets, which cost 15 euro (10 for students and seniors) are essential.

For more information:

• www.gaa.ie/museum (site was down at time of writing)
• Boston College: GAA – Oral History Project

The Irish Theatrical Diaspora develops and co-ordinates research on the production of Irish drama in its local, national and international contexts. The project defines “Irish drama” as all theatrical performances within the island of Ireland, and any theatrical performances outside the country involving Irish-born personnel or having substantial Irish content”.

This is the sixth annual conference hosted by the ITD. The keynote address, “The Spaces of Irish Theatre”, will be delivered by Christopher Morash of NUI Maynooth.

The conference is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Registration is free but places are limited.

See the timetable and registration information at the Irish Theatrical Diaspora website.

North by North West:  An International Conference
3rd -6th Sept 2009

Description: We invite proposals for papers exploring themes that will examine the Maritime history of Ulster from 1599-2009 focusing in particular the Port of Derry/Londonderry as a ‘Gateway to the Atlantic’. The conference will be hosted by the Institute of Ulster Scots Studies.

The themes of the conference are Environmental & Archaeological history, Military & Port Fortifications of Loughs Foyle & Swilly, Merchants & Traders in 18th & 19th century Ulster & Scotland, Ulster & the Atlantic World, Shipbuilders & Shipping Lines, From Here to  Wherever, emigration from NorthWest Ulster.

Paper proposals should indicate under which theme they wish to
be considered. Conference proceedings will be published.

Conference organisers: Sally Halliday M.Phil & Dr Billy Kelly

Venue: University of Ulster, Magee Campus

Contact: Sally Halliday at  sp.halliday@ulster.ac.uk

Tel: 02871375098

Sally Halliday M.Phil
Institute of Ulster Scots Studies
Room MI021
Aberfoyle House
Northland Road
L’Derry
BT48 9JL

Submission date for papers: 18th May 2009

Organisers say:

Literature (both fiction and non-fiction), personal journals and correspondence, and art enable us to explore the impact that journeys and homecomings have had on Irish and Scottish imaginations. Irish and Scottish migrants, as well as those who sought to understand, interpret and exploit the experience of migration, participated in the production and circulation of these accounts and images both at home and abroad. As such, they form an important dimension to any understanding of the Irish and Scottish diasporas. With this in mind, we seek to investigate the idea of migration as a series of narratives and rhetorical tropes that develop over time.

Selected proceedings will be published in the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies.

Related links:

• Conference call for papers at the AHRC Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies website
  
• Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies
• Aberdeen Word Festival

The call for papers has been released. Here is the text:

Through the process of inward migration, Ireland has in recent years witnessed unparalleled mobility of people moving into Irish space. New Irish, Old Ireland, will explore the dynamics of immigration and settlement and their implications for the construction of Irish identities.
Thematically, papers might address issues such as: who are the ‘new Irish’; how are concepts of nationality and belonging redefined within new and established communities; how are concepts of ‘people’, ‘place’ and ‘home’ constructed, imagined and remembered.

Papers might also address issues such as migration and the Irish Travelling Community; language and translation; exile, asylum and economic migration; the local and the global; contact zones, spaces and frontiers; diaspora communication networks; ethnicity and multiculturalism.

We invite conceptual, comparative, or locally focused contributions to a wide-ranging discussion of the migrant experience in Ireland/Irish society, past and present.We welcome papers by scholars working across the full range of disciplines related to Irish Studies, and papers from emerging research areas are especially welcome.

Abstract Submission:

Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes. Please send an abstract, of not more than 200 words to: irishstudies@nuigalway.ie before 1 December 2008.

Conference Website: www.nuigalway.ie/cis

For more information on the Centre for Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway, see: www.nuigalway.ie/cis/