UCD College of Arts & Humanities alumni, partners and friends gathered at the Irish Arts Center in New York to spend an evening with Booker Prize-winning author and Professor of Fiction, Anne Enright. Professor Regina Uí Chollatáin, College Principal, was delighted to welcome and meet the UCD community in New York and to bring the best of Irish arts to a global stage. Professor Margaret Kelleher, Chair of Anglo-Irish Literature & Drama, led the discussion with Enright, with readings from her most celebrated works, The Gathering, The Green Road and The Wren, The Wren.
Also taking to the stage this year was recent graduate Robert Power with his energetic journey into the mind of an artist, A Version of Life. Power’s one-man play, inspired during his Erasmus year abroad by the concept of Icelandic Nirvana, was created, produced and premiered within the newly opened Trapdoor Theatre. A Version of Life travelled to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival in August.
On behalf of the Coimisiún na Meán-commissioned Irish Language Review, the College hosted a highly successful forum on Irish language media at UCD, opened by Professor Orla Feely. Key media stakeholders contributed to this forám covering a wide range of topics in podcasting, online and digital platforms, and print and broadcast media. Engaging conversations were also held around the power of language with the Wales-Ireland Annual lecture, “St Patrick & St David’s Dialogue” in partnership with the Welsh Government, which celebrates the linguistic and cultural links between the two countries.
The UCD Clinton Institute hosted Emmy Award-winning alumnus, Donie O’Sullivan, Senior Correspondent at CNN for a discussion with Professor Scott Lucas on “Navigating Journalism in the Misinformation Era”. Co-curated by Professor Emily Mark- Fitzgerald, School of Art History & Cultural Policy, and alumna Dr Katy Milligan, a new exhibition “Casimir Markievicz: A Polish Artist in Bohemian Dublin (1903-1913)” which explores the artistic legacy of Markievicz, opened in Dublin Castle. Classics, poetry, linguistics and music collided this year with the premiere of a new piece of work, Signifier, Signified, by poet and artist Zsuzsanna Ardó which was inspired by leading Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure and arranged in a choral composition by the Morning Singers under conductor Dr Orla Flanagan. This was complemented by an exhibition of Ardó’s work, inspired by Hellenic sculpture, at the UCD Classical Museum.
To celebrate folklorist Professor Henry Glassie’s honorary doctorate, a cultural evening was hosted by Professor Kate Robson- Brown, Vice President for Research, Innovation & Impact at Trapdoor. The programme featured a Q&A session with Professor Glassie and filmmaker Pat Collins, offering insights into the making of his acclaimed film Fieldwork. The evening also showcased a vibrant array of performances, including that of percussionist Éamonn Cagney, recipient of the Joseph Hassett Creativity Bursary for Musical Composition; the Traditional Music Practices group, led by Dr Peter Moran, School of Music and fiddler Paddy Glackin, with captivating dance and recitations by the Fingal Mummers.
Lara Marlowe, former Irish Times correspondent and award-winning author, delivered the Annual College Lecture titled “Ukraine’s Quest to Join the West” in partnership with the School of Languages, Cultures & Linguistics.