Events
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Gaelic Roots ft. The Murphy Beds
February 27 , 2025
6:30 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Eamon O'Leary and Jefferson Hamer (aka The Murphy Beds) present traditional and original folk songs with close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. in 2021 they released their second album, titled "Easy Way Down," which The Irish Echo called "an incredible collection of songs delivered with grace and ease." They have toured extensively throughout Europe and North America, with performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Alaska Folk Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, WGBH Boston's Celtic Sojourn, Doolin Folk Festival (Ireland), and Unamplifire Festival (London).
Eamon and Jefferson began playing together at traditional music sessions in New York City. They shared an interest in collecting, arranging, and performing songs from Irish, American, Scottish, and English traditions. As they began to collaborate - first in larger ensembles, but most enduringly as a duo - they also recognized an affinity for other more contemporary idioms. Whatever the source - songs of the Irish travelers, Arkansas spirituals, or their own compositions - their arrangements feature the same carefully wrought interplay of voices and strings.
In reference to a pair of their original songs, The New Yorker wrote, "with crispy guitar licks and geographic lyrics about a wandering worker...it reminds me of Woody Guthrie's Columbia River song series...I want to describe it as an Ian Tyson-esque ballad about a man stranded on an island and then lost at sea, but it feels like a chain of imagistic verses that take you through a dreamscape."
In 2012 they recorded the debut album " The Murphy Beds in New York City" (a name that subsequently became shorthand for the duo itself.
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Engagements with Irish Folklore
March 12 , 2025
4:00 PM
In Person
Burns Library
A discussion on engagements with Irish Folklore with Guy Beiner (Boston College), Ray Cashman (Indiana University Bloomington), and Hilary Joyce Bishop (Liverpool John Moores University).
Hilary Bishop discusses her Fulbright research project, 'A Path Well-Trodden: Narratives from Ireland's Mass Paths,' exploring social habits, traditions, and stories of Irish American communities in the New York Tri-State area.
Ray Cashman presents research on 'Doing Death Well,' looking at Irish wakes, funerals, and undertakers.
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From the Enchanted Bay to Miltown Malbay: New Books on Irish Folklore and Heritage
March 12 , 2025
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
In Person
Burns Library
Burns Library invites you to celebrate the publication of The Enchanted Bay: Tales and Legends from Ernie O’Malley’s Irish Folklore Collection, edited by Cormac O’Malley and Patrick Mahoney, and Reflections of an Irish Grandson by Vincent J. Quealy, Jr. Both books explore themes of Irish folklore and heritage, which attendees will have the chance to learn more about during short talks by the authors.
Cormac O’Malley was born and raised in Newport, Co. Mayo, the son of Ernie O’Malley, Irish nationalist and author of the autobiographical memoirs, On Another Man’s Wound, The Singing Flame, and Raids and Rallies. Cormac’s mother was Helen Hooker, an accomplished American artist from Connecticut. Upon retiring from a career in international corporate law in 1999, Cormac served as a consultant concentrating on American investment in Ireland. He continues to publish and preserve his family’s remarkable legacy and their contributions to Irish and American history and the arts.
Vincent J. Quealy, Jr. was born in Boston, one of six children of Vincent and Anne Quealy. Grandparents John Quealy and Bridget (Meade) Quealy were both born in Ireland and lived there into early adulthood, eventually emigrating to the United States in the early 1900s and settling, for a time, in Lowell. Vincent is a graduate of Boston College and remains deeply engaged with many university programs and initiatives, including the Boston College Ireland Business Council. He and his wife, Joanie, live in Scituate.
Light refreshments will be served at 5:30pm, followed at 6:00pm by readings and remarks.
For those who may be interested, Guy Beiner, Sullivan Chair of Irish Studies at Boston College, will lead a panel discussion on engagements with Irish folklore in Burns Library at 4:00pm with Ray Cashman (Indiana University, Bloomington) and Hilary Joyce Bishop (Liverpool John Moores University).
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"Greening the World: Ireland's Soft Power on St. Patrick's Day", Mike Cronin, BC Ireland
March 17 , 2025
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
In Person
O'Neill Library, Reading Room
St. Patrick’s Day, the 17th of March, is the single biggest national day celebrated globally. This lunchtime talk by Professor Mike Cronin will show how St. Patrick’s Day was born in the United States as a visceral demonstration of Irish American ethnic power. It will then explore how the Irish state (and associated business interests) have leveraged St. Patrick’s Day globally to market the state and make Ireland one of the most readily recognized national brands.
Professor Mike Cronin is Academic Director of Boston College in Ireland and a member of the BC Irish Studies faculty. An historian, he has worked extensively on the creation and dissemination of Irishness. His publications include Wearing the Green: A History of St. Patrick’s Day (with Daryl Adair, 2002), The Routledge International Handbook of Irish Studies (with Renée Fox and Brian Ó Conchubhair, 2022) and Revolutionary Times: Ireland 1913-23, The Forging of a Nation (with Mark Duncan, 2024). He has held fellowships across the world and is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland and at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture in Leicester.
Before and during the talk, attendees will be invited to enjoy a complimentary buffet lunch featuring traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare and vegetarian options. All are welcome.
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Celebrating 25 Years of BC Ireland: What we need to know about 21st century Ireland
March 17 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Join us on St. Patrick's Day as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Boston College Ireland!
We will host a panel discussion focusing on the many sweeping changes that have occurred in Ireland over the past 25 years, analyzing the challenges and opportunities these developments have had on the study of Ireland, both on the island of Ireland and in America. How do Irish Americans tend to view Ireland's and Northern Ireland's stances towards America? How do citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland view Irish Americans? Have these views shifted in the 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement or with the greater polarization of US politics over the last decade? How is Boston College - through the work of BC Ireland, the Irish Institute, the Burns Library, and Irish Studies - uniquely positioned to cater to the interests of both Ireland and Irish America while continuing to advance this transatlantic relationship?
The panel will include:
- Mike Cronin (Academic Director of BC Ireland)
- Christian Dupont (Burns Librarian)
- Mary C. Murphy (Director of the Irish Institute)
- Guy Beiner (Director of Irish Studies)
A reception will follow the panel discussion.
All are welcome!
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Lá Gaeilge (Irish Language Day)
March 22 , 2025
10:00 AM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
The BC Irish Studies Program and Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston (Irish Langauge Society of Boston) are excited to be co-hosting our third annual Lá Gaeilge, or Irish Language Day.
The day will consist of Irish language classes, at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. There will also be a discussion on Irish language activism and a film screening of Kneecap (2024).
Registration for this event is required. If you would like to attend, please register here before Sunday, March 16th.
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Opening Doors: The Unlikely Alliance Between the Irish and the Jews in America
March 26 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Hasia Diner (NYU) will discuss her new book, Opening Doors: The Unlikely Alliance Between the Irish and the Jews in America (St. Martin's Press).
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Gaelic Roots Céilí with Jackie O'Riley, Sheila Falls Keohane, and Joey Abarta
March 28 , 2025
6:30 PM
In Person
Gasson Hall, Room 100
Join us for a céilí with dance instructor Jackie O'Riley, Sheila Falls Keohane on fiddle, and Joey Abarta on uilleann pipes.
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The Joyce of Everyday Life
April 05 , 2025
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Conference with Vickie Mahaffey (University of Illinois) & Katherine O'Callaghan (UMass Amherst).
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Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid, Burns Scholar Spring 2025: "Love in the Time of Revolution: Intimacy, Affection and Kinship in Ireland, 1916-1923"
April 09 , 2025
5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
In Person
Burns Library
Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid is Professor in Irish History and Faculty Director of Education for Arts and Humanities at the University of Sheffield, where she has taught since 2013. She works primarily on Irish history, in particular the Irish Revolution, and more broadly the history of political violence and terrorism since the nineteenth century. Her current research engages the cultural history of the Irish Revolution, focusing particularly on the history of emotions. Her publications include two monographs: Terrorist Histories: Individuals and Political Violence since the 19th Century (Routledge, 2016) and Seán MacBride: A Republican Life, 1904-1946 (Liverpool University Press, 2011).
For further background on Professor Nic Dháibhéid and her Burns Visiting Scholar residency, please visit the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies web page.
Burns Library will host a complimentary beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres reception beginning at 5:00pm, with Prof. Nic Dháibhéid’s lecture to follow at 6:00pm. All are welcome.
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Gaelic Roots - From Cork to Boston: The Life and Music of Irish Accordion Master Jerry O'Brien, 1988-1968
April 10 , 2025
6:30 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Dan Neely, ethnomusicologist, will give a lecture followed by a performance by Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion player.
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Becoming Blue: Duine Gorm and Thinking Outside the Taxonomy of Black and White in the Irish Context
April 23 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Devlin Hall, Room 101
The 2024/2025 Flatley Lecture will be delivered by broadcaster and writer Emma Dabiri.
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Race in Ireland
April 24 , 2025
5:00 PM
In Person
Connolly House, Andover Room
Irish Studies will host a panel discussion on race in Ireland with Emma Dabiri (broadcaster and writer), Kim DaCosta (NYU), Chanté Mouton Kinyon (Notre Dame University), Victor Augusto da Cruz Pacheco (University of São Paulo), and Lorelle Semley (Boston College).