Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Storyteller Batt Burns from the West of Ireland
When: 7:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public
As a child, Batt Burns experienced the seanachie (storyteller) tradition firsthand when he lived with his grandfather in the Hills of County Kerry, and heard him tell stories by the fire during the harsh winter nights. Today Burns helps to preserve that Irish heritage with haunting accounts of ghosts, great adventure stories, tales of heroes, farcical stories and witty jokes.
For further information, consult his Web site: www.battburns.com.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Traditional Irish Music Concert with Sliabh Notes, Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’Sullivan
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: University of St. Thomas, Jones Hall, 3910 Yoakum
Cost: $15 for adults with advance ticket sales
Contact Lori Gallagher at 713-525-3592 or irishstudies@stthom.eduStudents free with student ID (any school)
Rarely do Houstonians have a chance to hear one traditional Irish musician from the heartland of the west of Ireland, and even more rare is the experience of hearing several together. Join us for a special group appearance of these fantastic musicians.
Paddy Keenan was born in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, to a family steeped in traditional music. He is acknowledged as being the foremost uilleann piper performing today.
Tommy O’Sullivan was born in London into a family with their roots deep in the heart of the West Kerry Gaeltacht (Irish language-speaking area). He is a skillful vocalist and guitarist.
A live performance of Paddy Keenan and Tommy O’Sullivan in October 2001 garnered these remarks: “Together...they are the finest pipes-and-guitar duo ever...Keenan’s playing was a masterful blend of sweetness and fiery power...O’Sullivan added subtly percussive and driving guitar. His vocal numbers...were gorgeous and soulful.” Dave Ferman of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Sliabh Notes is a band that brings to life the music of Ireland’s Sliabh Luachra region, a mountainous area that straddles the counties of Cork, Kerry and Limerick. The band, created in 1995, is comprised of Tommy O’Sullivan from Dingle (guitar and vocals), Matt Cranitch from Cork (fiddle) and Donal Murphy (accordion) from Abbeyfeale. Guest musicians may join them.
For more information, consult their Web sites:
http://www.tommyosullivan.net
http://www.paddykeenan.com/
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
University of St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies
His Eminence Daniel N. Cardinal DiNardo
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
When: 10 a.m. Mass; breakfast to follow Mass
Where: Mass: Chapel of St. Basil, University of St. Thomas, 3802 Yoakum St.
Breakfast: Jerabeck Gymnasium, University of St. Thomas, 4000 Mt. Vernon St.
Cost of Breakfast: $20 check or cash with advance ticket sales; $25 at the door
RSVP for Breakfast: Monday, March 8, 2010
Contact Lori Gallagher at 713-525-3592 or irishstudies@stthom.edu
Please provide your name, telephone number and the number in your party.
Net proceeds will be used for scholarships to be awarded from the Bishop McCarthy Scholarship Fund for Study Abroad in Ireland.
Liturgical Songs and Music by Irish Visiting Scholar Professor Aoife Ní Ghloinn, Maureen Swanson, Michelle Shannahan and Friends
Join us for our annual traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Mosaics of Faith Conference: The Irish Experience
Rev. Bill Shaw, Belfast, Northern Ireland
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Scanlan Room, Jerabeck Center, 4000 Mt. Vernon St.
Crossing the Divide: Learning to Walk in Another Person’s Shoes
Rev. Harold Good, Belfast, Northern Ireland
When: 7 p.m.
“Dealing with the Past”: Can our Faith Release and Heal Us?
Sponsors:
University of St. Thomas Centers for Excellence:
Center for Irish Studies
Center for International Studies
Center for Faith and Culture
University of St. Thomas Office of Academic Affairs
174 Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Healing Through Remembering, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University
The Irish Society
Rev. Shaw’s Lecture
Rev. Bill Shaw will discuss his path across the religious and cultural divide in Northern Ireland. A Presbyterian minister working in a distinctly Catholic environment of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Rev. Shaw will discuss community-based solutions for reconciling the conflict between Northern Ireland’s Catholics and Protestants. He will explore how endeavoring to understand one another and “learning to walk in another person’s shoes,” while not as easy as it sounds, is the first and only step to breaking down the “walls” that divide us. This approach is an antidote to fear, which, when exploited, often can evolve into violent conflict.
In 2005, Rev. Shaw received the Harry McKillop Irish Spirit Award for his “efforts in the community-based projects which seek to promote inter-community relationships and peace in Ireland.”
Rev. Good’s Lecture
Drawing upon his experience of the Irish Peace Process, Rev. Harold Good will discuss a pivotal issue facing us all: Resolving past conflict and the building of a lasting peace among ourselves and others. Dealing with the past is not unique to Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is a crucial part of any peace process and the future of any society will be determined by how it resolves issues of the past.
Rev. Good asserts that the lesson for all of us is clear: Unless we are able to deal effectively with our past, we are condemned to re-live that past with a cyclical pattern of violence and counter-violence.
He is a former President of the Methodist Church in Ireland who has served churches in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States. In 2007, Rev. Good was awarded the World Methodist Peace Prize.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Mosaics of Faith Conference: The Irish Experience
Walking in the Paths of the Early Irish Christians: Monasteries, Crosses and Pilgrimages
Dr. Peter Harbison, Dublin, Ireland
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Scanlan Room, Jerabeck Center, 4000 Mt. Vernon St.
University of St. Thomas Centers for Excellence:
Center for Irish Studies
Center for International Studies
Center for Faith and Culture
University of St. Thomas Office of Academic Affairs
Friends of Archaeology
The Irish Society
Dr. Peter Harbison will present a lecture on the establishment of monasteries through the creation of elaborate literary and visual depictions of the Old and New Testaments on the Irish high crosses to the development of pilgrimages as a symbol of one’s faith. From before the time of St. Patrick and St. Brigid to the time of the adventurous early Irish missionaries, the Irish have exhibited an enduring spirituality and kinship that transcends time and space. The Irish are known for their strength of conviction, in their faith, their identities and their love of their country and life itself.
Dr. Harbison is an extraordinarily gifted archaeologist and historian. He is an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, and is a former vice president and the Honorary Academic Editor for the Royal Irish Academy. He is an Honorary Member and Professor of Archaeology at the Royal Hibernian Academy of Art. Dr. Harbison is the author of over 20 books on Ireland’s past.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Annual Irish Gala
6:30 p.m.: Silent Auction
Dinner and Program thereafter
Houstonian Hotel, 111 North Post Oak Lane
Honorees: Peg and William J. Flynn
Chairs: Jes and John Hagale
Honorary Chairs:
Elizabeth and Russell Bundy
Marion and John Foerst
Colleen and George McCullough
Mary Kay and Michael Poulos
Benefiting the University of St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies Study Abroad and Academic Programs
Individual Tickets: $250
Tables: $2,500, $3,500, $5,000, $7,500, $10,000, $15,000 and up!
For reservations or more information, contact:
Lori Gallagher
Cullen Hall, 4001 Mt. Vernon
713-525-3592
irishstudies@stthom.edu
Gather with the Friends of the University of St. Thomas Center forIrish Studies for the 2010 Annual Irish Gala celebrating honorees Peg and William J. Flynn, Chairman Emeritus of Mutual of America Insurance Company. Ambassador of Ireland Michael Collins from Washington DC and Consul General of Ireland Martin Rouine from Chicago and their spouses have been invited to attend the Gala. They plan to attend if their schedules permit. The evening promises to be filled with good company, good cheer, lively entertainment and a delicious dinner. Come be a part of it!
Our honorees have been instrumental in the success of the Center for Irish Studies and its mission to promote peace and reconciliation around the world. We are pleased to honor Bill Flynn for his extraordinary contributions through the years to the peace process in Northern Ireland.
In 1994, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Albert Reynolds recognized Mr. Flynn’s contributions to the peace process at a tribute dinner in his honor, and in October 2007, Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern praised Mr. Flynn’s tireless work in fostering peace and reconciliation in Ireland. In 2008, Irish America devoted its entire Heritage Series magazine to Mr. Flynn as a “true friend of Ireland.”
Throughout his life, Mr. Flynn has held many leading positions with various charitable and other organizations and has received many outstanding awards relating to Ireland, peace and mutual respect.
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