Nearly 100 scholars expected
for Irish studies conference at NIU

NIU is preparing for an Irish invasion.

Nearly 100 scholars will visit campus from Thursday, Oct. 12, to Saturday, Oct. 14, for the 30th Annual Midwest Regional Meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS). The scholarly conference will focus on Irish literature, poetry, history, diasporas, politics and other topics.

“We’ll have scholars here from Ireland, France, Britain and Canada, as well as from throughout the United States,” conference organizer Sean Farrell said. “The American Conference is the largest Irish studies organization in the world, and this is the first time NIU has ever hosted one of its major events.

“We don’t have a formal Irish studies program here at NIU,” Farrell added. “But this gives us the opportunity to add to the solid foundation built by Professor Jeff Chown (communication) and Professor Emeritus Bob Self (English), who established a remarkably successful study-abroad program in Ireland.”

Farrell, a professor of history at NIU who specializes in modern British and Irish history, will be among the nearly 60 conference presenters. Keynote speakers include Cheryl Herr, a professor of English at the University of Iowa, and David Gleeson, an assistant professor of history at the College of Charleston, South Carolina.

Other conference highlights will include a staged reading of Gary Mitchell’s play, “The Force of Change,” at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, in the Diversions Lounge of Holmes Student Center (HSC) and readings by ACIS poets from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 14, in the HSC Lincoln Room.

The conference is geared toward academics, although anyone interested in Irish studies is welcome to register. Registration, cost information and a full schedule of activities can be found online at www.niu.edu/clasep/acis/.

The American Conference for Irish Studies is a multidisciplinary scholarly organization with about 1,500 members in the United States, Ireland, Canada and other countries. Each spring the organization holds a national conference, with a series of regional meetings held during the fall and winter.

9-18-06