Irish Studies Thriving in Montreal Renaissance of all things Irish
By KESTER DYER
MONTREAL - Over the past several years, Montreal has become one of the most active and energetic places in which to study the history and culture of Ireland, as well as the rich Irish heritage in Canada.
Under the auspices of the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies at Concordia University, programs in Irish Studies, public lectures by visiting cultural figures, scholarships for students, and a host of cultural and social events organized by Montreal’s vibrant Irish community are now available.
There are 15 active Irish associations in Montreal – such as the GAA, Ireland_Canada Chamber of Commerce, St. Patrick’s Society, Erin Sports Association – a city that has the longest continuous St. Patrick’s parade in North America, organized by the United Irish Societies.
Other associations have a focus on Irish film, Irish dance, Irish music and the Irish language. When combined with the academic offerings of the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies, these activities make Montreal a mecca for all things Irish. A monthly Irish radio show on the main English commercial radio station has been so popular that it now is moving to bi_monthly broadcasts.
This renaissance of Montreal’s long_established Irish community began 10 years ago with the creation of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation. Several members of the community wished to provide financial support to Concordia University as it embarked on developing Canadian Irish Studies. What a difference a few years and the commitment of several individuals can make!
With financial support from across the country, as well as from the governments of Quebec, Canada and Ireland, the Foundation has raised more than $4 million and, with practical and financial support from Concordia, Canadian Irish Studies have become an important academic presence at the university .
Under its energetic Chair, Brian O’Neill Gallery, the Foundation continues to seek financial support to ensure the consolidation and future development of Canadian Irish Studies. As Gallery says, “It is important for students to learn about Ireland and the Irish heritage in Canada. To be proud of your history and the accomplishments of previous generations, we need to study and teach that history. How can you take pride in your heritage if you don’t know what it is?”
Gallery speaks with infectious enthusiasm for Canadian Irish Studies as a means of understanding the history of Ireland and Canada. His own great_grandfather, Sir William Hingston was a Nineteenth Century mayor of Montreal, an internationally renowned surgeon, a chairman of a bank, and a Senator who was knighted by Queen Victoria for his medical achievements.
The Centre for Canadian Irish Studies was created in 2002 and under its auspices courses on Irish and Irish_Canadian subjects are now offered by more than 12 departments such as History, English, Film, Language, Religion, Women’s Studies, Economics, Geography, Political Science and Popular Culture, among others.
An Irish Public Lecture Series has brought such figures to Concordia as Presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, former Prime Minister, Dr. Garret FitzGerald, and Booker_nominated novelists Colm Toíbin and Sebastian Barry.
This Fall, novelist Patrick McCabe (The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, both made into films by Neil Jordan) will give a public reading and a Master Class to students in the Creative Writing Department. Dr. Garret FitzGerald will return to inaugurate a prestigious public lecture financed by the St. Patrick’s Society (established in 1834).
While the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation is still energetically seeking funds to ensure the long_term security of Canadian Irish Studies, the money it provides to Concordia on an annual basis has been the effective catalyst in developing Canadian Irish Studies. With the active participation and support of Concordia, in 2002 the Chair in Canadian Irish Studies was created and a Minor and Certificate in Canadian Irish Studies were set up.
Two years ago, the O’Brien Visiting Scholar was established to bring a distinguished professor to Concordia in the Fall to teach two courses and give a public lecture. In September, O’Brien Visiting Scholar Dr. Margaret Kelleher (National University of Ireland, Maynooth) will teach courses on Memory and History in Modern Irish Literature and The Literature of the Irish Famine in Comparative Context.
This year, the university is about to hire two new faculty in Irish Studies, one an Irish Historian, the other an Irish literary critic. With their presence, courses will now reach 15 in the coming academic year, having started with four, then growing to six, then eight. For example, this summer courses such as The Irish Literary Revival, Introduction to Popular Irish Culture and The Irish Experience in Montreal will be offered.
On top of all these developments, the Government of Ireland has just awarded the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies a grant of $46,500 to teach Irish language classes over the next three years. This award is a major recognition of the growing profile the Centre has both in Ireland and internationally.
Commenting on the new faculty and the support from the Irish Government, Dr. Michael Kenneally, who is the Director of the Centre, said that, “The success of Canadian Irish Studies in Montreal is the result of a unique partnership between an imaginative, flexible and very supportive university, which itself has deep Irish roots, and a generous and energized community which sees the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies as an important institutional presence to ensure that future generations can learn about the history and culture of Ireland and the Irish heritage in Canada. It is an example of how a university can build on, and respond to the energy and support of a community. It is an ideal partnership which benefits all involved.”
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For further information on the Centre for Canadian Irish Studies, check its website at: http://artsandscience.concordia.ca/irish. Or write to the Centre or to the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation at 1590 Doctor Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1C5. If you wish to be kept informed of the many Irish academic, cultural and social events in Montreal, you may wish to subscribe to their listserv. Simply email cdnirish@alcor.concordia.ca, or call the Centre at (514) 848_8711.
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