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The Irish
Studies Program commemorates James Joyce's birthday
By Dana Imperia '05
On Feb. 1, the Irish Studies program honored James
Joyce’s 123rd birthday at Annie’s Café in Ardmore. Villanova
students, faculty and other community
 members
enjoyed traditional Irish music and various readings from Joyce and other
Irish writers.
Dr. James Murphy, associate professor of English and
director of the Irish Studies Program, said, “Joyce is the most important
writer in the English language in my opinion.” Not only celebrating Joyce’s
Feb. 2 birthday, Murphy also acknowledged the observance of the feast of St.
Brigid and the beginning of spring, which in the traditional Celtic calendar
is Feb. 1.
As the new Heimbold Chair of Irish studies, Michael
Coady, a writer and poet from County Tipperary, Ireland, is currently
residing and teaching two classes during the spring semester at the
University. Coady read one of his poems in honor of Joyce.
Brian Crowe, a 2001 graduate, read the poem
Digging by Nobel prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney. In agreement
with Murphy, Crowe considers Joyce to be
 one
of the best writers from Ireland in the last century. “Joyce embodies a
certain internationalism and touches a base of the Irish diasporas and
Irish-Americas that explains his popularity here,” Crowe said.
In conjunction with readings from Irish writers,
musicians Terry McGrath, Bob Beach and James Klingler, assistant professor
of Management, played well-known Irish tunes such as “Molly Malone” and a
“bawdy sailor song.”
Murphy noted that the Irish Studies Program has
celebrated Joyce’s birthday in a similar manner for almost 14 years now.
“The celebration is a good mix of university and community members who share
a common interest for Irish writing and music,” Murphy said. |
