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Irish History Series: Bridging the Atlantic
After 150 years of attempted assimilation, Americans of Irish heritage are finally anxious to understand their cultural inheritance, in a manner that transcends St Patrick’s Day cliches. Over 44 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, a heritage linked directly and painfully to the mass immigration caused by the Irish potato famine of the 1840s.
In response to rapid growing public interest, our Irish History program began as a series of academic and community lectures. Multi-media presentations augmented with live and recorded music. This program offered performances and lectures for Professional and Service Organization meetings and helps to separate myth and media imagery from real Irish culture and legacy. Each community presentation can be individually designed for community groups such as Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce, Junior League, retirement groups, Ancient Order of Hibernians, auxiliaries, and others interested in cultural understanding.
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Sample lectures and workshops:
- Would You Know You Were Irish If Your Mother Didn’t Tell You: Understanding Your Heritage
- Snakes, Cabbage and Little Green Men : Separating Hallmark Imagery from Real Ireland
- A Mid-Atlantic Identity Dilemma: Irish Americans or American Irish ?
- Irish or Otherwise: Why is Cultural Heritage Important?
- Between the Jigs and Reels: Irish Traditional Music’s Journey into World Music
- 150 Years: The Irish Diaspora and the New Ireland
- Celtic American Tapestry: The Contribution of Celtic Music to American Popular Culture
- The Stranger’s Land: The Emigrant Experience in Irish Traditional Music
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Dr. Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, MBA, Ph.D.*
* (Pronounced “Ga-ROAD O-hal-ver-awn)
A recognized authority on the cultural impact of the Great Irish Famine and its resulting diaspora in North America, Ó hAllmhuráin received his doctorate in Social Anthropology and Ethnomusicology from the Queen’s University of Belfast, where he worked with the renowned European ethnomusicologist, Professor John Blacking. He has taught courses at University College Cork (Ireland), St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia (Canada), University of San Francisco and the University Missouri-St Louis (USA), as well as presented guest lectures at universities all over North America and Europe.
Since penning his first piece in 1973 for the local Clare Champion newspaper, an eyewitness account of the funeral of Galway accordion legend Joe Cooley, Dr. Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin has dedicated his career to promoting the preservation of Irish traditional music and culture. Author, ethnomusicologist, anthropologist, and professional musician, he is currently the Jefferson Smurfit Corporation Professor of Irish Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is the author of the highly praised A Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music (O’Brien Press, Dublin, 1998).
For more information contact Celtic Crossings.
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"Gearóid is to the forefront of a emerging wave of Irish ethnomusicologists whose academic expertise is grounded firmly in a practical performance knowledge of the music."
Dr. Micheal O Suilleabhain, Irish Composer, Limerick, Ireland
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Tunes for Tots
"TUNES FOR TOTS" creates hands-on experiences for kids through our early education and library presentations. Visiting musicians, amateurs and masters, introduce the children to the instruments and engage them in rhythmic and vocal participation. Please contact us directly to schedule an event at your own school.
For more information contact Celtic Crossings.
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