A Roundtable Report on Irish Studies: Issues and Perspectives

Abstract

NOTES AND QUERIES A ROUNDTABLE REPORT ON IRISH STUDIES: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES DIANE HOTTEN-SOMERS AND AIMEE WAHA* what is the future of Irish Studies at universities throughout North America ? What measures must be taken to ensure the survival and growth of the field? At the 1998 national convention of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS), held in April in Fort Lauderdale, FL, scholars from major centers of Irish Studies in the United States shared their thoughts on such questions during a roundtable forum. John Harrington (from the Cooper Union) chaired the panel, which included Nancy Curtin (Fordham University), Adele Dalsimer (Boston College), James Donnelly Jr. (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Patricia King (New York University), Robert Mahony (Catholic University of America), Thomas Dillon Redshaw (University of St. Thomas), and Kevin Whelan (University of Notre Dame). Panelists emphasized the need to institutionalize Irish Studies programs, to establish chairs in history and literature, and to ensure that existing chairs are succeeded by Irish Studies scholars. In addition, academics must work to “legitimize” Irish Studies by publishing intellectually challenging material that will attract the attention and respect of scholars in other fields. As a discipline, Irish Studies needs to create greater connections with interrelated fields. For example, a national and international network connecting Irish Studies scholars with colleagues in American Studies, Women's Studies, Judaic Studies, and African-American Studies will promote valuable sharing of theory, research, and methodology. NOTES AND QUERIES 204 *Diane Hotten-Somers received a master’s degree in English literature from Boston College and will begin a Ph.D. at Brown University this fall, focusing on Irish-American history. Aimee Waha recently completed a master’s degree in Irish Studies at Boston College, where she attended as a Fulbright scholar from Germany. Participants also voiced concerns over the funding of Irish Studies on North American campuses. Program leaders must convince university administrators of the importance of allocating resources to this field, particularly because recent attention paid to Ireland in American popular culture has filled existing Irish Studies courses to capacity. Moreover, an established and affluent Irish-American community is expressing a serious interest in the study of Irish culture. Thus, to raise the profile of Irish Studies in the community at large, programs should reach out to the public through cultural events involving film series, concerts, and lectures. Some panelists focused on the fact that Irish Studies should expand its disciplinary boundaries and avoid the dangers of identity-based, nationalist scholarship. The discipline must thus encourage work focused on addressing issues such as gender and diaspora studies, which engage with the wider academic community and a broader American public. And, finally, major research universities must be encouraged to retain and to hire scholars dedicated to training graduate students, who hold the promise and bear the burden of sustaining the future of Irish Studies in North America for the next century. PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE BECOMES IRISH AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE PATRON At a meeting at Áras an Uachtarán, the Irish presidential residence in Phoenix Park, John Walsh, Chairman of the Irish American Cultural Institute (IACI), announced that President Mary McAleese has honored the organization by becoming its official patron. Chairman Walsh noted that President McAleese continues a tradition begun by President Eamon de Valera who occupied the office when the IACI was founded. Walsh also observed that the IACI remains the only Irish-American organization distinguished by having the president of Ireland as its patron. IRISH AMBASSADOR HOSTS RESEARCH FUND'S TENTH ANNIVERSARY AWARD CEREMONY Irish Ambassador to the United States Seán Ó Huiginn and Bernadette Ó Huiginn hosted the 1997 IACI Research Fund's Award Ceremony at the couple’s residence in Washington, D.C., in late January. The 1997 awards totaled more than $26,000, bringing the total of funds awarded to date for Irish research from IACI endowments to more than $200,000. NOTES AND QUERIES 205 Four awards were made possible by the Irish Institute of New York Fund: Niamh O'Sullivan, lecturer at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, was awarded $4,000 to support her research for "The Life and Work of the Irish-American Artist Aloysius O'Kelly,” which will culminate...