May 4, 2012, 6:30pm
Celtic Studies Students' Award Evening
Hefter Center, 3271 N. Lake Drive
UWM Campus
Please join us for our annual Celtic Studies Students' Award Evening on Friday, May 4th at 6:30pm in the Hefter Center, 3271 N. Lake Drive. We will be presenting our 2011-2012 graduates with their Celtic Studies Certificates. Congratulations to Malinda Andrews, Tyler Hackworth, Janelle Howell, Samantha Irwin, Corey Klinzing, Kaitlyn Ann Kohl, Stephanie Lorenz, Al Malmsten, Emily Outcalt, Rachel Ruetz, and Dawn Thomas.
Participating will be Áthas, noted masters of Irish traditional music (their members are previous recipients of the Celtic Studies Certificate) and other Celtic Studies alumni, musicians, and faculty. Our special guests will be Brian O'hÁirt and Len Graham. Brian, also a UWM Celtic Studies alumnus, is leader of the progressive Gaelic band Bua, and now a Celtic cultural scholar in his own right. Len Graham is one of Ireland's best known Irish singers who has gained an international reputation, not only for his inimitable singing style, but also for the breadth of his knowledge of Irish folk music. Len has performed at numerous Irish and international folk, literary and storytelling festivals, including Milwaukee IrishFest, as well as appearing on many radio and television programs. In 1992 he received the Seán O'Boyle Cultural Traditions Award in recognition of his work in Ireland as a song collector and singer. In 2002, he was honored as the first recipient of the Irish television TG4 National Music Award for "Traditional Singer Of the Year." In 2008 he was awarded "Keeper of the Tradition" from the Tommy Makem Festival of Traditional Song and the U.S. Irish Music Award in the "Sean-Nós Singing" category.
This special occasion will also mark Nancy Madden-Walczyk's retirement from the Center for Celtic Studies and UW-Milwaukee. Join us as we celebrate her long and important contribution to Irish Studies at UWM and her role in building the Center for Celtic Studies and its programs.
May 2-6, 2012
White Woman Street
Irish Cultural and Heritage Center
2133 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Irish Arts presents Sebastian Barry's Irish-American western tale, White Woman Street, a drama filled with a poetic language, set in Ohio in 1916. This searing tale evokes a time of change and personal displacement. Stories are told, songs are sung, wild boars are shot and eaten, and a train filled with gold is approaching fast!
The show runs May 2nd-6th at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee. Show times on Wednesday through Saturday are at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm. Milwaukee Irish Arts is offering admission on a pay-as-you-can basis, with proceeds going to fund the cost of taking the production to Dublin later in May. The play will be Milwaukee's entry in The Acting Irish International Theatre Festival (AIITF), an annual event that alternates between a Canadian and U.S. host city. White Woman Street will be performed on May 15th as part of this year's festival which is being held for the first time in Dublin, Ireland.
The director is Jim Gallagher, who directed such previous festival award-winning productions as An Irish Play, and the cast includes Milwaukee Irish Arts favorites including Kevin Callahan, Jim Jacques, and Robert W.C Kennedy.
April 24, 2012, 7:00pm
Oliver O'Connell
Greene Hall (3347 N. Downer Ave.)
UWM Campus
Oliver O'Connell, author of the acclaimed new book Free Spirits, will present an illustrated talk on the relationship between Irish traveller culture and traditional Irish music.
O'Connell and his co-author, academic and piper Tommy Fegan, have assembled a comprehensive picture of the major traveller families and individuals who have had major influence on Irish music. Tuesday's presentation will include archival video and provide accounts of the Keenan and Furey families, the Doherty and Rainey families of Donegal and Galway, and feature great characters like Margaret Barry and "The Pecker" Dunne as well as Felix and Johnny Doran.
This promises to be an evening not to be missed by anyone with even the tiniest tither of interest in Irish music and culture.
April 13, 2012, 11:00am - 2:00 pm
Tartan Day
UWM Student Union Concourse
UWM Campus
As you are probably aware, Tartan Day celebrates the Declaration of Arbroath. It is in the form of a letter sent to Pope John XXII, dated the 6th of April, 1320 and signed by Scotland's chieftains, churchmen, and nobility. As a definition of Scottish independence, it is a stirring manifesto which ranks among the world's great statements. It is particularly important as the sturdy response of a small nation to stronger powers who sought to curtail its freedom. This event is celebrated every April as Tartan Day. As this year's Tartan Day fell on Good Friday, the Center for Celtic Studies will mark this special day on Friday, April 13.
Failte duit, you are very welcome to join us in the UWM Student Union Concourse between 11am - 2pm this Friday. Come and observe the weaving of tartan cloth by Merribeth Herbert, feel and fondle our official Wisconsin State Tartan. Other noted tartan cloths will also be on display. The Tribe of the Blue Rose will reenact some Scottish battles of long ago, and there will be live music for all to enjoy. Visit our Celtic Studies table to experience various Scottish-related exhibits, including some ancient Scottish armor and a copy of the Arbroath Declaration.
February 4, 2012, 7:30 pm
Gaelic Concert - Bua
Irish Cultural and Heritage Center
2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
Four of American's most talented young traditional Irish musicians, better known as Bue, will perform in the warm and intimate Parlour of the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center. The group's leader, Brian Ó hAirt, is a graduate of our Celtic Certificate Program here at UW-Milwaukee, and also has a Master's in Irish Language from University College Galway. Brian's evocative singing, often in Gaelic, is central to Bua's unique sound. He plays concertina, and also adds sean-nós dance to performances. The band's new CD received a grant from Foras na Gaeilge for it's Irish language content and sleeve notes. This grant includes the free distribution of copies to our students.
February 25, 2012
Lá Gaeilge / Iirish Language Day
UWM's Hefter Center
3271 N. Lake Dr., Milwaukee
Fáilte, and welcome to the Center for Celtic Studies' Annual Irish Language Day. Our convivial cultural event features classes in the Irish language, and workshops in traditional singing and dancing taught by native Irish instructors. A highlight will be the annual Douglas Hyde Memorial Lecture, initiated in 2006 to commemorate Douglas Hyde, founder of the Gaelic League and Ireland's first president, who visited Milwaukee in 1906 and received support from the community for the preservation of the Irish language. This year features Irish scholar Dr. Deirdre Ní Chonghaile who will present an illustrated history of music and song from the Aran Islands.
For more information, please contact John Gleeson at: gleeson@uwm.edu
or call 414 229 6520.
Now is the time to register for our Annual Irish Language Day! Registration: $30 for General Public, $20 w/out lunch. Free to all students, but pre-registration is necessary. Students may also purchase lunch tickets at $10 each. Checks should be made out to The UWM Foundation.
Schedule and Registration Form (pdf 275kb)
Please fill out form completely and return by mail to:
Center for Celtic StudiesOr stop by the office in Holton Hall 290. Please call (414) 229-6520 to make sure we're in!
Special Yeats Exhibit at UWM
Golda Meir Library, UWM Campus
2311 E. Hartford Ave., Milwaukee
As part of our celebration of the Green Season, we will be hosting a special exhibition of the Irish Nobel Prize Winner, William Butler Yeats, at the Golda Meir Library in March. This exhibition comes to us from the National Library of Ireland, courtesy of the Irish Government. This is a truly unmissable event!
The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats has been described in The Irish Times as "one of the most important literary exhibitions yet staged internationally". Since then, over 100,000 people of all ages and nationalities have delighted in exploring the multimedia rich experience of this award-winning exhibition. There will be an opening reception with the new Irish Consul General, the honorable Aidan Cronin, and Yeats-related events during the exhibition's stay at UWM.
Watch for an upcoming email from the CCS with more details.
March 15, 2012,
St Patrick's Day Celebration
Union Concourse, UWM Campus
2200 E. Kenwood Ave., Milwaukee
Celtic Film Festival 2011
Sponsored by the Celtic Cultural Center of Madison, Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee, UW-Madison Celtic Studies Program
November 19-20, 2011
Reception at 6:30, Lecture at 7:00 pm
Marquee Theater, Union South
1308 W. Dayton St., Madison
Highlights include the Academy Award nominated Patagonia, a Welsh film of big landscapes and intimate portraits and Blazing the Trail: the O'Kalems in Ireland. Peter Flynn, film historian, writer, director, and cinematographer as well as co-founder of the Boston Irish Film Festival, will present his work on the Kalem production company. Blazing the Trail features never-before-seen footage and images underscored by an evocative selection of music from the period. The result is a lively and moving celebration of Ireland, the O'Kalems, and the art of the silent cinema.
Saturday, November 19
1:00 pm Cornish shorts (52 minutes)
Y Fargen (10 minutes)
3:00 pm The Runway (95 minutes)
5:00 pm Parked (94 minutes)
7:00 pm Blazing the Trail (86 minutes) followed by Q&A
9:30 pm NEDS (124 minutes)
Sunday, November 20
1:00 pm Irish shorts (81 minutes)
3:00 pm Jig (99 minutes)
5:00 pm Kings (88 minutes)
7:00 pm Patagonia (118 minutes)
Awakening the Celtic Soul through Music
Dolores Whelan
Tuesday, November 15
Reception at 6:30, Lecture at 7:00 pm
UWM's Hefter Center
3271 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee
Annual Samhain (Halloween) Celebration
Monday, October 31st
6:00-9:00pm
UWM's Hefter Center
3271 N. Lake Drive, Milwaukee
The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain time. Food supplies often ran low and the dark, short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when the fabric separating the worlds was at its flimsiest, people thought that they would encounter the residents of the otherworld if they left their homes after dark. It was best to stay indoors and indulge in the fruits of the harvest while playing tricks and games of fortunetelling. If they had to leave their homes at night, folks wore masks and other disguises in the hope that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. People placed bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from entering.
Please contact the CCS for more information!
414-229-6520
gleeson@uwm.edu
Honoring James Liddy and His Poetry
Thursday, October 6th
3:00pm
UWM Golda Meir Library Learning Commons
2311 E. Hartford Ave, Milwaukee
The Center for Celtic Studies joins the Golda Meir Library archives department to honor UWM Professor and poet James Liddy's life and work with colleagues, former students and friends reading some of his writings. The event celebrates the opening the James Liddy Papers, a collection of the Irish author's correspondence, literary papers and general files. Speakers include Jim Chapson, Liddy's partner for more than 40 years; Liam Callanan, English chair at UWM; John Gleeson, co-director of the Center for Celtic Studies and Nancy Madden Walczyk, associate director of the Center for Celtic Studies.
Center for Celtic Studies Kick-Off Céilí (Fáilte Isteach)
Wednesday, September 28th
6:00pm-9:00pm
UWM'S Greene Hall
3347 N. Downer Ave, Milwaukee
Come for Celtic music and dance, featuring a live band and céilí instruction. Special guest noted Dublin ballad singer, Barry Dodd. Meet fellow students and members of the community interested in Celtic topics. Find out about our Certificate in Celtic Studies and future CCS events. Enjoy the craic, conviviality and good company!
For more information call the Center for Celtic Studies at 414.229.6520 or e-mail gleeson@uwm.edu
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Last Updated: May 2, 2012