Date: Feb 12, 2010

Irish Studies Program at Hofstra University Announces Events for Spring 2010

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Hofstra University’s Irish Studies Program has announced a series of films, lectures and a family event for the spring 2010. Unless otherwise noted, events are free and open to the public.

For more information on the following please call Dr. Gregory Maney at (516) 463-6182 or e-mail socgmm@hofstra.edu.

Thursday, February 18, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Irish Film Series: The Commitments
This screen adaptation of the popular Roddy Doyle novel was voted “the best Irish film of all time” in a 2005 online poll conducted by the Dubliner Magazine. A quest to create a great rhythm and blues band reveals much about the Irish soul. Post-film discussion to be facilitated by Professor Maggie Burke. Location is the Guthart Cultural Cultural Center Theater, 1st Floor Axinn Library, South Campus.

Wednesday, March 3, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Irish Film Series: Kings
Irish language film with English subtitles. Written and directed written and directed by Tom Collins, starring Colm Meaney. This film was Ireland's official entry for the 2008 Academy Awards in the best foreign-language film category. Set in Connemara and North London, the film examines the hunger, restlessness, and regret associated with Irish emigration. Post-film discussion to be facilitated by Professor Maureen Murphy. Location is the Student Center Theater, North Campus.

Wednesday, March 17, 11:15 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.: Irish Cultural and History Readings
Join us and recite a short snippet from your favorite reading by an Irish author or with an Irish theme. Food will be served. Location is the Main Floor, Axinn Library, South Campus.

Wednesday, March 24, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Readings by Professor Connie Roberts
Professor Roberts, a Hennessy X.O. Literary Award Finalist in 2009, will present some of her work with the help of musical friends.  She will also discuss her experiences growing up in an orphanage and the movement among survivors of institutional abuse to secure justice, accountability, restitution, and repatriation. Location is the Guthart Cultural Cultural Center Theater, 1st Floor Axinn Library, South Campus.

March 27, 7 p.m.: Cherish The Ladies Concert*
Join Hofstra Concerts for an evening of traditional Celtic music by internationally renowned Irish-American group Cherish The Ladies. Lauded as “Best Musical Group of the Year” by the BBC and “Entertainment Group of the Year” by the Irish Voice Newspaper, Cherish The Ladies have shared the stage with James Taylor, Joan Baez, and Emmylou Harris, delivering energetic performances that leave audiences mesmerized. Location is the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus.

*Tickets: $35 advance/$40 day-of-show; $30 senior citizens (over 65) advance/$35 day-of-show; $20 Hofstra student with current HofstraCard or children under 16. Tickets are on sale now on tickets.com and will be available through the Playhouse Box Office starting February 23 by calling (516) 463-6644, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. For more information, please contact Hofstra Concerts at (516) 463-6967 or hofstraconcerts@gmail.com.

Wednesday, April 7, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Public talk by Dr. Lee Smithey, assistant professor of sociology at Swarthmore College on “Loyalist Parades and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland”
Loyalist parades have long been a source of ethnic conflict in Northern Ireland. In this talk, Dr. Smithey discusses recent changes made by parade organizers and the strategic “choreography” of parading disputes. Location is the Guthart Cultural Center Theater, 1st Floor, Axinn Library, South Campus.

Thursday, April 8: “Remaking Ireland: The Easter Rising and Today”
This first annual speech will reflect upon contemporary implications of the Easter Rising. This event is co-sponsored by the Irish Monument Committee and the Irish Consulate General. Speaker, time and location are TBA.

Wednesday, April 14, 5:30 to 8 p.m.: Irish Film Series: The Girl with Green Eyes
This screen adaptation of Edna O’Brien’s novel The Lonely Girl, starring Rita Tushingham, is set in 1960s Dublin. The film examines the intersection of desires for worldly experience and a return to innocence. Post-film discussion to be facilitated by Professor Maureen Murphy. Location is Monroe Lecture Center Theater, California Avenue, South Campus.

Saturday, April 17, 12:30 to 5 p.m.: Irish Family Fun Day*
Irish Family Fun Day gives area students and families a chance to learn more about and celebrate Irish culture. Children will learn Irish arts and crafts, Gaelic sports, traditional music, step dancing, and the Irish language. There will also be story-telling and films. During an ice-cream and cookies social, children will share what they have learned. Location is Hofstra USA and Intra-mural fields, North Campus.

*Admission: $10 per family.
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Irish Studies at Hofstra University is an interdisciplinary program with rich course offerings and events on Ireland's past and present. By studying the cultures, Diaspora, economy, history, politics, and social relations of Ireland, the program develops an awareness of ways that the Irish have both shaped and been shaped by other societies, including the United States. Created in the Spring of 2008 by Drs. Gregory Maney and Maureen Murphy, Hofstra’s Irish Studies Program was the first on Long Island.
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