The Irish Ancestral

Research Association

invites you to join us as we celebrate our

25^th Anniversary Reunion

On Saturday, July 12, 2008

At The LaCava Center

Bentley College

Waltham, MA

http://www.bentley.edu/vmap/lacava.cfm

The all-day event will feature lectures, member exhibits, and lunch!

Click here for printable registration form.

Program

8:30-9:30am – Registration, Breakfast, Exhibits

9:30-10:30am – Welcome, TIARA’s History – Marie Daly

10:30-11:00am – Break, Viewing of Exhibits

11:00am-Noon – 1^st Lecture Set

Noon-2:00pm–Lunch–Guest Speaker, David Barry, Irish Consul General

2:00-3:00pm – 2^nd Lecture Set

3:00-4:00pm – Lecture by Marie Daly

4:00-5:00pm – Lecture by Brian O’Donovan

LECTURES – 1^st set

A. Irish Nationalism and Early Irish Film: Creating a National Identity

Speaker: Morgan Lake Adams

Using film clips, Morgan will examine the fascinating relationship between cinema and Irish nationalism. The first sympathetic film images of the Irish and their history were created by Americans in the 1910s. As nationalists realized the power of cinema, they looked to film to help define a unifying national identity while still under British domination.  The British viewed Irish films with suspicion or outright hostility, invoking their powers to censor.

B. Preservation of Photographs

Speaker: David Mishkin

Learn what causes photographic deterioration, how it can be retarded and the proper ways to store photographs and albums. Discussion on photographic enhancements and restorations; what they are and how this process can improve your photographs.

LECTURES – 2^nd Set

A. The Changing Face of Caitlin ni Houlihan: The Status of Irish Women Since Independence

Speaker: Catherine B. Shannon

The coming of independence in 1921 did little to expand rights and opportunities for Irish women. Dr. Shannon outlines the political, economic and social forces that eroded the status quo. She will also focus on what was achieved in the era of second wave feminism and what challenges remain for contemporary Irish women before they achieve the equal citizenship promised in the republic's founding document in 19l6.

B. Preservation of Modern Imaging Systems Speaker: David Mishkin

Lecture/slide show discussing the problems in preserving videos, CD ROMs and color photographs and what you can do to help preserve those family images and events.

LECTURE BY MARIE DALY

Pre-1800s Irish Research

TIARA Founder Marie Daly explores the availability of pre-1800s resources for Irish research. You just might be surprised!

LECTURE BY BRIAN O’DONOVAN

Irish Traditional Music & Song: The Backdrop to Irish Culture at Home and Abroad. Musically illustrated

Brian will examine the history, social context, and development of music and dance in Ireland and through the Diaspora; illustrating the pain of emigration, slow airs and laments, songs of rebellion, the unbridled joy of reels and jigs, lullabies, and the influence of the Irish on vaudeville here in the US.

About Our Speakers:

MORGAN LAKE ADAMS

Morgan Lake Adams is a fourth year doctoral candidate in the history program at Boston College. Her areas of interest include Modern Ireland, the British Empire, Gender, and the Atlantic World. Her dissertation examines the interactions of Irish and French Canadian immigrants in nineteenth century Maine mill towns.

DAVID BARRY

David Barry has been the Consul General of Ireland to New England since 2005. Originally from County Tipperary, he earned a bachelor of commerce degree from University College Dublin and his MBA at the University of Warwick in the UK. His Diplomatic Corps assignments have included: London, Belfast, Austria, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

MARIE DALY

Marie Daly is a past president and co-founder of TIARA. She joined the staff of NEHGS in 1987 and is currently Director of Library Services. Marie received a B.S. from Northeastern University and an MPH from Boston University. She has been researching, lecturing, and writing about Irish genealogy since 1976.

DAVID MISHKIN

David Mishkin received a B.S. degree in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1969 and graduated from their Photographic Preservation seminar series. He has presented lectures on preserving photographs and documents for over ten years. David has written several articles in photographic, genealogical and historical publications. He completed two terms as the President of NERGC and currently serves as Exhibitor Co-Chair for the 2009 Conference.

BRIAN O’DONOVAN

Born in West Cork, Ireland, Brian O’Donovan has lived in the Boston area for the past 28 years.  He is a well-known broadcaster in the USA with WGBH in Boston. His weekly three-hour radio program, A Celtic Sojourn, is heard throughout New England. Brian is also a festival producer and concert promoter working extensively in the folk/Celtic music genre. He is the managing partner of Connections Ventures, LLC, a media and entertainment company in Cambridge, producers of live events and festivals, including the new Irish Connections (ICONS) Festival.

CATHERINE B. SHANNON

Dr. Shannon is currently Professor Emerita of History, Westfield State College. She received her B.A. from University of Toronto, an M.A. with Honors from University College, Dublin and her Ph. D. from University of Massachusetts. She has worked as a Secondary School History Teacher and as Professor of History and Director of Irish Studies and Honors Programs at Westfield State College. She is a Past President of the Eire Society of Boston and the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. She is a long time member of the Executive Board of the American Conference for Irish Studies.

LOCATION & ACCOMMODATION
Bentley College is located at 175 Forest Street, Waltham MA 02452. See www.bentley.edu for directions, maps, and hotel accommodations.

Directions will be sent with registration confirmation.