Litríocht - Literature
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill to read in Castlebar and Ballina
Mayo County Council Arts Office is delighted to announce Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill as Writer in Residence 2010. Nuala will be working with a number of Writers Groups and schools throughout the county during the months of May and June.
Also as part of Nuala’s residency she will give public reading of her poetry at Mayo Education Centre and Ballina Library. Ní Dhomhnaill is an animated reader of her poetry and unlike some other poets who write in the Irish language she welcomes translation into English of her work and has worked closely with translators on projects to make versions of her work available in English. She, herself, writes only in the Irish language, however.
Perhaps the most striking feature of Ní Dhomhnaill’s poetry for those who do not speak Irish is her use of folklore sources. A staple is the juxtaposition of modern life with folkloric motifs, each putting the other in context. There is a fine sense of humour in her work too along with a feisty strain of native feminism (the type that might well object to ‘feisty’ were it not for the sense of humour).
The first of these readings will take place in Mayo Education Centre on Friday May 28th from 1-2pm with the second taking place in Ballina Library on Thursday June 3rd from 1.15-2.15pm. The readings are open to the public and admission is free of charge.
For more information on the Residency please contact Mayo Arts Office on 094-9024444 ext 7558&7471 or email mayoarts@mayococo.ie .
The 51st Annual Yeats International Summer School 25th July - 6th August.
IntroductionRegistration takes place at the Yeats Memorial Building, Douglas Hyde Bridge, on Saturday, from 10.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. The Official Opening of the School takes place on Sunday afternoon, at a ceremony hosted by the Mayor of Sligo. A scenic tour of Yeats Country concludes with evensong at Drumcliffe Church, where Yeats is buried, "Under bare Benbulben's head". This is followed by an evening reception and buffet for students and lecturers.
LecturesEach weekday morning there are lectures at 9.30 a.m. and 11.15 a.m. in the Hawk's Well Theatre, with coffee and tea available between the lectures. These lectures /seminars focus on specific periods of Yeats's poetry and are designed to cover the whole canon during the two weeks. They also explore the designated themes and grow out of the current research of the lecturers. Afternoons are free for impromptu discussion sessions, for study in the Yeats Society Library, or for exploring Sligo and the surrounding landscape, from Knocknarea to Rosses Point, which offers great hiking, a spectacular beach, a golf course and excellent pubs.
SeminarsThe week-long seminars, in groups comprising on average twelve students, meet daily from 4.30 to 6.00 p.m. The basic texts are Collected Poems (Albright or Jeffares) and Collected Plays, and texts for all seminars will be available at Keohane's Bookshop and the Book Nest book shop in Sligo. Students may prepare for the School by reading Yeats's Autobiographies; Roy Foster or Terence Brown's biographies of Yeats; a critical text such as Richard Ellmann's Yeats: The Man and the Masks, and a history of modern Ireland. The tutors are available for consultation on theses and other research projects. The lectures, seminars and special educational events total more than forty-five hours of work, the equivalent of most unit or three-credit courses. By arrangement with the Director and with the prior approval of the student's home institution, provision may be made for academic credit through additional seminar exercises, consultations and an essay.
EveningsOn most evenings, there are special presentations by distinguished writers, musicians, dancers and storytellers. Plays, concerts and other events are normally run as part of a Sligo festival at this time also. There is also a Student Poetry Reading.
Student members of the drama workshop will produce a play on the final Friday evening.
ToursIn addition to the initial tour of Yeats Country, the programme arranges optional tours to Lough Gill, Coole Park and Thoor Ballylee, and the Carrowmore megalithic cemetery.There will also be an evening of traditional music and instruction in Irish set-dancing.
Social CentreThe Yeats Memorial Building is open daily as the Social Centre for students, for study, relaxation, networking with lecturers and fellow students, collecting mail, etc... Most evenings, particular pubs are recommended for traditional music and refreshment!
For more information please contact The Yeats Society T 071-9142693 E info@yeats-sligo.com