Representations of Jews in Irish Literature
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Ulster
Department Name: Faculty of Arts
Abstract
The representation of Jews in Irish literature is a notably under-researched topic, apart from the character of Leopold Bloom in Joyce's "Ulysses". The significant presence of Jews in Irish literature since the earliest times deserves to be investigated because initial research undertaken shows the presence of Jews in Irish literature, whether as writers or as characters in writing by Jews and non-Jews, to be more widespread and potentially far more significant than has been realised to date.
This research will demonstrate how the representation of the Jew in Irish literature actually tells us much more about Irish than Jewish identity, how in fact a whole psychohistory, perhaps even psychopathology, of Irishness is hidden in these neglected representations. The project aims to investigate the topic in all eras of Irish literature, in both Irish and English, and to situate the findings within the discourse of Jews in other literatures, including English, American, German and East European. The outcome of the research will be an in-depth study of the topic, an anthology, a web database, and an exhibition in Belfast and Dublin, leading to an academic conference with published proceedings, all of which will establish permanently the significance and meaning of "the Jew" in Irish literature.
This examination of Irish attitudes to Jews as found in Irish literature is of potential interest to all bodies that are engaged with attitudes to racial, national and religious difference, in both Northern Ireland, the Republic and beyond. This includes political parties, immigrant and non-national bodies, and statutory bodies engaged with promoting equality.
This research will demonstrate how the representation of the Jew in Irish literature actually tells us much more about Irish than Jewish identity, how in fact a whole psychohistory, perhaps even psychopathology, of Irishness is hidden in these neglected representations. The project aims to investigate the topic in all eras of Irish literature, in both Irish and English, and to situate the findings within the discourse of Jews in other literatures, including English, American, German and East European. The outcome of the research will be an in-depth study of the topic, an anthology, a web database, and an exhibition in Belfast and Dublin, leading to an academic conference with published proceedings, all of which will establish permanently the significance and meaning of "the Jew" in Irish literature.
This examination of Irish attitudes to Jews as found in Irish literature is of potential interest to all bodies that are engaged with attitudes to racial, national and religious difference, in both Northern Ireland, the Republic and beyond. This includes political parties, immigrant and non-national bodies, and statutory bodies engaged with promoting equality.
Planned Impact
The prospective beneficiaries of the project identified so far are academics in different academic disciplines. However, the publicly accessible web database and the exhibitions in Belfast and Dublin, together with public lectures at both venues, will bring the wider public to an understanding of the representation of Jews in Irish literature and how this reflects on Irish society. Furthermore, given our clear expectation that our findings will add a significant new dimension to the study of Irish literature, we expect school and university curricula to benefit from the project's outcomes, which will raise the significance of some previously neglected texts.
This benefit will derive from the awareness the project will generate of a whole new dimension to diversity in Irish literature through the ages. Overall, the aim of the project is to inform a discussion about Irish identity that goes beyond the traditional Catholic/Protestant or Irish/British binary divide to look at wider issues around othering, xenophobia, loathing and self-loathing in a way that will force users to reflect on their own identity. We will engage through face-to-face meetings and dissemination of the outputs with bodies that are engaged with Irish attitudes to racial, national and religious difference, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. This includes political parties, immigrant and non-national bodies, and statutory bodies engaged with promoting equality such as the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. The Irish-Jewish Museum in Dublin is one such body that has already expressed its support for this project.
This benefit will derive from the awareness the project will generate of a whole new dimension to diversity in Irish literature through the ages. Overall, the aim of the project is to inform a discussion about Irish identity that goes beyond the traditional Catholic/Protestant or Irish/British binary divide to look at wider issues around othering, xenophobia, loathing and self-loathing in a way that will force users to reflect on their own identity. We will engage through face-to-face meetings and dissemination of the outputs with bodies that are engaged with Irish attitudes to racial, national and religious difference, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. This includes political parties, immigrant and non-national bodies, and statutory bodies engaged with promoting equality such as the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. The Irish-Jewish Museum in Dublin is one such body that has already expressed its support for this project.
Organisations
- University of Ulster (Lead Research Organisation)
- Royal Irish Academy (RIA) (Collaboration)
- Concordia University (Collaboration)
- Luton Borough Council (Collaboration)
- Columbia University (Collaboration)
- Irish Literary Society (Collaboration)
- National University of Ireland, Galway (Collaboration)
- Linen Hall Library (Collaboration)
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Collaboration)
- Georgetown University (Collaboration)
- Georgia Southern University (Collaboration)
- Waterford Institute of Technology (Collaboration)
- Congregation Mickve Israel (Collaboration)
- Armagh Public Lbrary (Collaboration)
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (Collaboration)
- Irish-Jewish Museum (Collaboration)
- Jewish Public Library (Collaboration)
- Irish Jewish Museum (Project Partner)
- Royal Irish Academy (Project Partner)
Publications
| Description | The postdoctoral researcher, Montgomery, and investigators, Ó Dochartaigh and others, discovered that the range and complexity of references to Jews in Irish literature was far more greater than even was anticipated by us. We have also been conceptualising the position of Jews in literature within wider cultural and social settings, for example within newspapers and government writings, travellers' accounts, and other sources beyond poetry and prose. In the light of the exhibitions in Ireland and the USA the potential for developing the project beyond its initial scope is significant. |
| Exploitation Route | We feel the work will be used by academics to develop Irish-Jewish studies, and to integrate hitherto limited Irish angles into wider Jewish Studies. Also our relationship with the Jewish Museum is developing to such an extent that it possible to envisage a collaborative doctoral programme, and co-application to other funders to develop engagement and educational dimensions. |
| Sectors | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.arts.ulster.ac.uk/jewishrepresentations/ |
| Description | We are one year into the project and are still in the process of gathering material. We are building blocks for the website, which is only lightly populated now. Overall, it is too early for our work to have been taken up, however two papers have been given by the postdoctoral researcher, Dr Barry Montgomery, and these have begun the process of take-up by academics and agencies beyond UU. We have raised awareness with the Jewish Museum in Dublin, which will host our exhibition in year 3, and these links will result in some co-working. The Museum is the principal centre on the island for Jewish life and culture, and has strong cross-border ties. The investigators maintain regular contact with the management team there, and have asked them to determine anything which we can do with our work to help them. One of the principle agreements in that respect is to seek ways of representing Jewish culture rather than merely anti-Semitism. We believe this connection to the museum is potentially very rich and in all likelihood durable. The formal funded period of the project has finished and we are now editing the planned volume that arises from our research. The outreach activities have brought the subject to a very wide audience, via exhibitions in seven venues in Ireland (Royal Irish Academy, Armagh Public Library, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Coleriane Town Hall, NUI Galway, Waterford Institute of Technology, Linen Hall Library Belfast) and four in the United States (Columbia University, the Irish Writers Festival in Los Gatos, CA, Georgetown University and Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA). The exhibition has also informed two newspaper features, in the Irish Examiner (8.ii.2017: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/history-of-jews-in-irish-literature-goes-beyond-leopold-bloom-442308.html) and the Times of Israel (15.iii.2017: https://www.timesofisrael.com/dracula-the-wandering-jew-and-other-unknown-facets-of-irish-lit-in-ny-bound-exhibition/). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Education,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | ACIS Mid-Atlantic Conference |
| Organisation | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The PI, Ó Dochartaigh, opened the exhibition, which included artefacts from Georgetown's archives, in November 2018. The researcher, Peters, co-curated this. The RA, Montgomery, gave a talk at the conference. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Georgetown provided the space, co-curation and artefacts from their archives to enhance the pull-ups. |
| Impact | The event was attended by around 80 people, including several from Jewish communities in DC, who have expressed an interest in bringing the exhibition to the Jewish Cultural Center there. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | ACIS Mid-Atlantic Conference |
| Organisation | Georgetown University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The PI, Ó Dochartaigh, opened the exhibition, which included artefacts from Georgetown's archives, in November 2018. The researcher, Peters, co-curated this. The RA, Montgomery, gave a talk at the conference. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Georgetown provided the space, co-curation and artefacts from their archives to enhance the pull-ups. |
| Impact | The event was attended by around 80 people, including several from Jewish communities in DC, who have expressed an interest in bringing the exhibition to the Jewish Cultural Center there. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Columbia University Exhibition and Talk |
| Organisation | Columbia University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Exhibition was hosted at the Heyman Center, Columbia University, in April 2017. The PI, Ó Dochartaigh, gave the opening lecture for the exhibition, and the Columbia scholar James Shapiro, whose book "Shakespeare and the Jews" is a seminal work in the field, responded. One of the researchers at Ulster, Peters, co-curated the Exhibition with Dr Emily C. Bloom and others of Columbia University. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Heyman Center hosted the Exhibition in their space and provided original artefacts to accompany the pull-ups, as well as providing the time of their colleagues, Dr Bloom among them, to co-curate. The writer Ruth Gilligan also read from her novel, "Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan". |
| Impact | The event was attended by around 100 people, scholars, general public and political representatives, and was reported in several media in the New York area. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Columbia University Exhibition and Talk |
| Organisation | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The Exhibition was hosted at the Heyman Center, Columbia University, in April 2017. The PI, Ó Dochartaigh, gave the opening lecture for the exhibition, and the Columbia scholar James Shapiro, whose book "Shakespeare and the Jews" is a seminal work in the field, responded. One of the researchers at Ulster, Peters, co-curated the Exhibition with Dr Emily C. Bloom and others of Columbia University. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Heyman Center hosted the Exhibition in their space and provided original artefacts to accompany the pull-ups, as well as providing the time of their colleagues, Dr Bloom among them, to co-curate. The writer Ruth Gilligan also read from her novel, "Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan". |
| Impact | The event was attended by around 100 people, scholars, general public and political representatives, and was reported in several media in the New York area. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Concordia University and Jewish Public Library, Montréal |
| Organisation | Concordia University |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The PI travelled to Montréal to deliver a lecture and to formally open the exhibition which is one of the outputs of the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Jewish Public Library, Montréal, hosted the Exhibition "Representations of Jews in Irish Literature" from 27 May- 17 June 2019, in collaboration with the School of Irish Studies at Concordia University, which hosted the 2019 annual conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies, and the Montréal Bloomsday Festival. In the context of the conference the PI delivered a lecture and formally open the exhibition. |
| Impact | None yet. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Concordia University and Jewish Public Library, Montréal |
| Organisation | Jewish Public Library |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The PI travelled to Montréal to deliver a lecture and to formally open the exhibition which is one of the outputs of the project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Jewish Public Library, Montréal, hosted the Exhibition "Representations of Jews in Irish Literature" from 27 May- 17 June 2019, in collaboration with the School of Irish Studies at Concordia University, which hosted the 2019 annual conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies, and the Montréal Bloomsday Festival. In the context of the conference the PI delivered a lecture and formally open the exhibition. |
| Impact | None yet. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 2 - Armagh Public Library |
| Organisation | Armagh Public Lbrary |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Launch 2: Armagh Public Library, Abbey Street, Armagh Time and Date: 11am on 11 August, 2016 Launched by: Very Revd. Gregory Dunstan (Keeper, APL), Mayor Gareth Keating, Dr Frank Ferguson, Dr Barry Montgomery and Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University) Support Team Onsite: Carol Conlin (Head Librarian, Thirza Mulder (Archivist), Rachel Toner (Researcher) Duration of Exhibition: 11 August - 5 September Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Research Team met with library staff including head librarian, archivist and researcher to plan and prepare the second scheduled launch of the project. This included further planning of an accompanying display which contained materials relating directly to the exhibition display. Co-Investigator Dr Frank Ferguson and Research Associate Dr Marie-Claire Peters liaised closely with research team to organise launch event including social media, PR and other logistical planning. The exhibition was launched on 11 August by Lord Mayor Garath Keating and Reverend Gregor Dunstan, Keeper of Armagh Public Library, research team members also spoke at the event. It was attended by over 30 people and received wide spread press coverage including an interview with the research team for regional TV. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Library team prepared and planned launch onsite including a detailed display of artefacts and materials pertaining to the exhibition display including the 1714 pamphlet by Ulster-born philosopher, John Toland. The team also oversaw social media and PR in relation to the launch, which they have continued to do in relation to the further launches following Armagh. The exhibition was planned in conjunction with European Heritage week which saw extensive footfall in the library to view the exhibition which ran until early September. |
| Impact | Press Releases and PR: • http://www.armagh.co.uk/event/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature/ • http://www.nimc.co.uk/whats-on/event/979/exhibit-representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature/ • Armagh Matters: TV Interview on the exhibition launch at the library - Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University), Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University), Ms Rachel Toner (Armagh Public Library) |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 3 - PRONI |
| Organisation | Public Record Office of Northern Ireland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Time and Date: 11.30am on 2 September, 2016 Launched by: Lord Mayor Brian Kingston, Dr Ruth Gilligan (University of Birmingham), Ms Bríd Ní Mhóráin (Poet), Pól Ó Dochartaigh (NUI Galway) Support Team Onsite: Stephen Scarth (Head of Public Services) Duration of Exhibition: 2 September - 7 October Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Co-Investigator Dr Frank Ferguson and Research Associate Dr Marie-Claire Peters liaised closely with Head of Public Services at PRONI, Mr Stephen Scarth to plan the third launch of the scheduled exhibition tour. This included a major launch on Friday 2nd September which included a lecture by Dr Ruth Gilligan (Birmingham University) on her new book Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan reflecting on her research on Irish-Jewish connections and a reading by award-winning poet Bríd Ní Mhóráin of her poem entitled Juden which features in one of the bi-lingual panels within the exhibition. The launch was also attended by Lord Mayor Brian Kingston who spoke about the recent attacks on Jewish graves in Belfast City Cemetery and how significant the exhibition was in light of this. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Contribution by Research Partners: Head of Public services Mr Stephen Scarth worked closely with the research team to plan logistical aspects of this event included PR and social media communications. He also facilitated a private tour of the exhibition with Rabbi David Singer and Minister for Finance, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (MLA) given by Dr Marie-Claire Peters and an interview with the researchers on regional TV Antrim Matters. Dr Peters was also invited by the Community Relations Council to write a short piece on the exhibition for publication in their online magazine after a staff member had attended the launch. |
| Impact | Press Releases and PR: • http://www.irishnews.com/news/2016/09/03/news/exhibition-reveals-role-and-representation-of-jews-in-ireland-679129/ • https://news.causewaycoastcommunity.co.uk/ni-news/ulster-university-landmark-research-reveals-representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature/ • http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/nine-folds-make-a-paper-swan-by-ruth-gilligan-review-1.2714094 • http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/irish-jews-celebrated-in-exhibition-35017058.html • http://forward.com/culture/361201/who-ever-heard-of-an-irish-jew/ • Antrim Matters: TV Interview on the exhibition launch at the library - Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University) and Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University). • Personal tour of exhibition provided by Dr Marie-Claire Peters and Dr Frank Ferguson for Rabbi David Singer and Finance Minister, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (MLA). |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 4 - Coleraine Town Hall, Northern Ireland |
| Organisation | Luton Borough Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Time and Date: 1pm at 6 October, 2016 Launched by: Dr Frank Ferguson, Dr Barry Montgomery, Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University) Duration of Exhibition: 6 - 31 October Support Team Onsite: Sarah Carson (Coleraine Borough Council) Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Co-Investigator Dr Frank Ferguson and Research Associate Dr Marie-Claire Peters liaised with Coleraine Borough Council to have the exhibition feature in the Coleraine Literary Festival which was planned in conjunction with Ulster University. Although not in the original planned schedule for the exhibition tour, further requests to display the exhibition resulted from the media coverage on the exhibition. The exhibition was launched in Coleraine Town Hall by research team members' Dr Frank Ferguson, Dr Barry Montgomery and Dr Marie-Claire who addressed an audience of twenty-five people including local people, university students and other academics on aspects of Irish-Jewish history and how the exhibition was created. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Coleraine Borough Council provided the central facility for the Exhibition. |
| Impact | Social Media and press releases were communicated to the public advertising the exhibition which was regularly visited over the duration of the month of October. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 5 - NUI Galway |
| Organisation | National University of Ireland, Galway |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Time and Date: 6pm on 6 December, 2016 Launched by: Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh (NUI Galway), Mr Stanley Price, author of Somewhere to Hang My Hat: An Irish-Jewish Journey Duration of Exhibition: 6 December - 27 January Support Team Onsite: Ann Mitchell (Head of Operations) Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Research team led by Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh liaised with library staff at the Hardiman library to display the exhibition over the period of two months running from December to the end of January, during which time the exhibition would link specifically to commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day 2017. The team also contributed to a further display of related to the exhibition materials including copyright permission for the reproduction images which featured in a larger display on the launch night. Principal Investigator Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh officially launched the exhibition along with author Stanley Price who reflected on his Jewish background and writing. Professor Ó Dochartaigh also developed further links based on the success of the exhibition to develop partnership with European and Transatlantic partners including Columbia University in New York where the exhibition will debut on 4 April, 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Library staff worked closely with research team to plan and execute launch of the exhibition including the preparation and display of an extensive complementary display which featured alongside the exhibition. Staff also managed logistical and communication aspects of the launch including coordinating a number of lectures throughout the duration of the display. In addition, additional display material was created using original archival material from the NUI Galway archives, related to productions of Jewish-themed plays in Irish theatres. |
| Impact | Press Releases and PR: • https://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/exhibitions/representationsofjewsinirishliterature/ • https://mediahq.com/story/nuig/165561/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature---exhibition-to-open-in-galway.html • http://mooreinstitute.ie/event/seminar/ • https://www.booksirelandmagazine.com/nine-folds-make-a-paper-swan/ |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 6 - The Linen Hall Library, Belfast |
| Organisation | Linen Hall Library |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Time and Date: 6pm on 10 January, 2016 Launched by: Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh (NUI Galway) who presented on 'Hyphenated Identities: Irish-Jewish Autobiographies'. Support Team Onsite: Deborah Douglas (Programme Manager) Duration of Exhibition: 10 - 31 January, 2017 Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: The research team developed a series of networks with external partners throughout the initial three launches. These partnerships included developing the exhibition schedule to travel to further venues around Ireland, one of which included Linen Hall library in Belfast. The research team met with Programme Manager, Deborah Douglas in September 2016 following the PRONI launch to develop plans for holding the exhibition in the library. These events would be in conjunction with the Holocaust Memorial Trust to hold a special Holocaust Memorial day lecture which was presented by Research Associate, Dr Barry Montgomery on 26 January, 2017 and was attended by a large audience including many members of the Jewish community. The exhibition ran for the month of January and was launched by Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh to an audience of over thirty people. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Programme Manager, Deborah Douglas worked closely with researchers on the team to ascertain what materials in the library's archives could be used for a complementary display for the duration of the exhibition. This included a first edition of James Joyce's Ulysses and the original keys to the first synagogue in Belfast. The library also coordinated all social media, PR and further promotion of the exhibition to their partner organisations. |
| Impact | Press Releases and PR: • https://linenhall.com/news/212 • https://www.capartscentre.com/2017/01/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-10-jan-to-31-jan/ • http://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/holocaust-victims-remembered-while-genocide-goes-on-worldwide-1-7793192 • http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/paula-meehan-launches-ten-poems-from-ireland-1.2932983 • Dr Barry Montgomery presented a lecture on 'The Holocaust in 20th Century Irish Fiction and Poetry' on Thursday 26 January, 2017 as part of Holocaust Memorial Day 2017. • RTE Arena Arts (Radio Program) - Interview with Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) http://www.rte.ie/radio1/arena/programmes/2017/0125/847707-arena-wednesday-25-january-2017/?clipid=2383068 • TV interview in Irish with Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh for www.meoneile.ie • http://www.irishnews.com/arts/2017/01/26/news/exploring-jewish-themes-in-irish-literature-903291/ |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Exhibition Launch No. 7 - Waterford Institute of Technology |
| Organisation | Waterford Institute of Technology |
| Department | Library |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Time and Date: 1 February, 2017 Launched by: Simon Lewis (Poet, Author of Jewtown), Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) Support Team Onsite: Kieran Cronin (Developmental Librarian), Peggy McHale (Student Support and Systems Coordinator) Duration of Exhibition: 1 February - 6 March, 2017 Event Description: Contribution of Research Team: The research team liaised regularly with library staff at WIT including Kieran Cronin (Development Librarian) and Peggy McHale (Student and Systems Support Coordinator) in the planning of the seventh launch of the exhibition in Waterford. The team provided a range of information on the exhibition content to allow staff at the library to produce a complementary display including materials relating specifically to the Jewish Community in Ireland. An excellent display was provided on launch night on 1 February including details of the first Jewish couple married in Waterford in 1894. The launch also included talks from Dr Barry Montgomery and Mr Simon Lewis, author of Jewtown who spoke about his Jewish background and research. The launch was very well attended with over forty people attending including members of the Jewish community locally. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The team at the library provided an excellent display to accompany the exhibition and carried out an extensive range of research about the history of the Jewish community in Waterford including the first couple married at Waterford Town Hall in 1894. The team were also very proactive in developing communication and promotion of the exhibition and helped facilitate further media coverage with The Irish Examiner and The Times of Israel. The exhibition remained in Waterford until 6 March during which period it had large volumes of visitors including a number of schoolchildren who also contributed personal reflections on the exhibition as part of their experience. One student remarked after her visit: 'I never knew there were a lot of Jews once in Waterford. Sixty-Two - that's a huge number because you never really hear about it nowadays.' |
| Impact | Press Releases and PR: • https://www.wit.ie/events/all_news/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhi bition • http://thewildgeese.irish/profiles/blogs/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhibition • http://simonlewis.ie/launching-representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhibition/ • http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/history-of-jews-in-irish-literature-goes-beyond-leopold-bloom-442308.html • https://thesidelinesofhistory.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/story-of-waterfords-first-jewish-wedding-in-1894-to-feature-alongside-representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhibition/ • http://www.timesofisrael.com/dracula-the-wandering-jew-and-other-unknown-facets-of-irish-lit-in-ny-bound-exhibition/ • https://newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details?ws_id=2465151&date=2017-02-24 • http://www.wlrfm.com/shows/47-on-the-fringe-with-mary-oneill/4477-first-jewish-wedding-in-waterford-to-be-featured-at-a-wit-exhibition.html |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Inaugural Exhibition Launch - Royal Irish Academy |
| Organisation | Irish-Jewish Museum |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Inaugural Launch: Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin Time and Date: 6pm on 30 June, 2016 Launched by: Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh (Registrar and Deputy President NUI Galway) presented 'Hyphenated Identitities: Irish-Jewish Autobiographies', Yvonne-Altman O'Connor (Vice Chair, Irish-Jewish Museum) Support Team Onsite: Siobhán Fitzpatrick (Head Librarian), Dave McKeon (Library Assistant) Duration of Exhibition: 30 June - 5 August, 2016 Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Extensive planning and liaison with library team at the Royal Irish Academy beginning in January 2016 including a number of research and planning meetings to plan and prepare inaugural launch. This also included coordinating with project partner, the Irish-Jewish museum in Dublin. The team worked closely with the library to plan and prepare a complementary display alongside the exhibition. The event launch on 30 June 2016 included an opening address on 'Hyphenated Identities: Jewish Auto-biographies' by Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh. Project team members' Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway) also delivered lunchtime lectures over the duration of the exhibition display which ran until 5 August. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Library team coordinated with Research Associate Dr Marie-Claire Peters to carry out logistical and PR aspects of exhibition display including a major launch in Dublin on 30 June 2016 which was attended by over forty people including the Israeli Ambassador for Ireland. The team also coordinated wide scale social media promotion of the event and prepared a detailed and impressive complementary display to accompany the exhibition including artefacts directly relating to the materials included on the exhibition panels. These artefacts included a first-edition of Edmund Spenser's The Fairie Queene, The Annals of Inisfallen and a fourteenth-century manuscript adorned with a picture of a Menorah. The library team also helped facilitate press communications including an interview with the project team for RTE Radio for Inside Culture. |
| Impact | The full outcome was the exhibition, which ran from 30 June 2016 to 5 August 2016. There was brief coverage in the Irish Times, as well as two further lectures in July 2016 by members of the project team, Dr Barry Montgomery and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil. These are available on podcast at: https://www.ria.ie/news/library/representations-jews-irish-literature-podcasts. Press Releases and PR: • https://www.ulster.ac.uk/ulster-life/events/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhibition-launch • https://www.ria.ie/events/representations-jews-irish-literature • http://jewishmuseum.ie/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature/ • http://jewishmuseum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Jews-in-Irish-literature-6.pdf • http://www.conul.ie/a-successful-collaboration-%E2%94%80-new-exhibition-at-the-ria-library/ • Lectures by - Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway) https://www.ria.ie/news/library/representations-jews-irish-literature-podcasts • RTE Inside Culture (Radio Program) - Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University), Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway), Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University) • Newstalk - Irish Radio Interview with Pól Ó Dochartaigh (NUI Galway), 22 May 2016. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Inaugural Exhibition Launch - Royal Irish Academy |
| Organisation | Royal Irish Academy (RIA) |
| Department | RIA Library |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Inaugural Launch: Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin Time and Date: 6pm on 30 June, 2016 Launched by: Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh (Registrar and Deputy President NUI Galway) presented 'Hyphenated Identitities: Irish-Jewish Autobiographies', Yvonne-Altman O'Connor (Vice Chair, Irish-Jewish Museum) Support Team Onsite: Siobhán Fitzpatrick (Head Librarian), Dave McKeon (Library Assistant) Duration of Exhibition: 30 June - 5 August, 2016 Event Description: Contribution by Research Team: Extensive planning and liaison with library team at the Royal Irish Academy beginning in January 2016 including a number of research and planning meetings to plan and prepare inaugural launch. This also included coordinating with project partner, the Irish-Jewish museum in Dublin. The team worked closely with the library to plan and prepare a complementary display alongside the exhibition. The event launch on 30 June 2016 included an opening address on 'Hyphenated Identities: Jewish Auto-biographies' by Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh. Project team members' Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway) also delivered lunchtime lectures over the duration of the exhibition display which ran until 5 August. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Library team coordinated with Research Associate Dr Marie-Claire Peters to carry out logistical and PR aspects of exhibition display including a major launch in Dublin on 30 June 2016 which was attended by over forty people including the Israeli Ambassador for Ireland. The team also coordinated wide scale social media promotion of the event and prepared a detailed and impressive complementary display to accompany the exhibition including artefacts directly relating to the materials included on the exhibition panels. These artefacts included a first-edition of Edmund Spenser's The Fairie Queene, The Annals of Inisfallen and a fourteenth-century manuscript adorned with a picture of a Menorah. The library team also helped facilitate press communications including an interview with the project team for RTE Radio for Inside Culture. |
| Impact | The full outcome was the exhibition, which ran from 30 June 2016 to 5 August 2016. There was brief coverage in the Irish Times, as well as two further lectures in July 2016 by members of the project team, Dr Barry Montgomery and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil. These are available on podcast at: https://www.ria.ie/news/library/representations-jews-irish-literature-podcasts. Press Releases and PR: • https://www.ulster.ac.uk/ulster-life/events/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature-exhibition-launch • https://www.ria.ie/events/representations-jews-irish-literature • http://jewishmuseum.ie/representations-of-jews-in-irish-literature/ • http://jewishmuseum.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Jews-in-Irish-literature-6.pdf • http://www.conul.ie/a-successful-collaboration-%E2%94%80-new-exhibition-at-the-ria-library/ • Lectures by - Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University) and Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway) https://www.ria.ie/news/library/representations-jews-irish-literature-podcasts • RTE Inside Culture (Radio Program) - Dr Barry Montgomery (Ulster University), Dr Rióna Ní Fhrighil (NUI Galway), Dr Marie-Claire Peters (Ulster University) • Newstalk - Irish Radio Interview with Pól Ó Dochartaigh (NUI Galway), 22 May 2016. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Irish Literary Society London |
| Organisation | Irish Literary Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | The RA, Montgomery, delivered a lecture to an audience in the Bloomsbury Hotel. Irish writers Ruth Gilligan and Simon Lewis read from their work. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The ILS hosted the event. |
| Impact | The event has reached a wide audience in London. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA |
| Organisation | Congregation Mickve Israel |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Ó Dochartaigh travelled to Savannah, GA, to deliver a lecture on 4 March 2018 at the opening of the Project Exhibition in the Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Georgia Southern University, via Howard Keeley, provided the academic liaison with both the Consulate-General of Ireland and the Mickve Israel Synagogue. Mickve Israel provided both the lecture theatre and the exhibition space, where the exhibition and related artefacts from Savannah will be on display for 3.5 weeks in March 2018, in the context of Savannah's extensive annual engagement with Ireland in the month of March. The Consulate-General of Ireland covered travel and accommodation for the PI. The event was attended by around 100 people. The footfall into the exhibition will be provided later. |
| Impact | A new academic link has been developed between NUI Galway and Georgia Southern University in the area of Irish Studies. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA |
| Organisation | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Ó Dochartaigh travelled to Savannah, GA, to deliver a lecture on 4 March 2018 at the opening of the Project Exhibition in the Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Georgia Southern University, via Howard Keeley, provided the academic liaison with both the Consulate-General of Ireland and the Mickve Israel Synagogue. Mickve Israel provided both the lecture theatre and the exhibition space, where the exhibition and related artefacts from Savannah will be on display for 3.5 weeks in March 2018, in the context of Savannah's extensive annual engagement with Ireland in the month of March. The Consulate-General of Ireland covered travel and accommodation for the PI. The event was attended by around 100 people. The footfall into the exhibition will be provided later. |
| Impact | A new academic link has been developed between NUI Galway and Georgia Southern University in the area of Irish Studies. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA |
| Organisation | Georgia Southern University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Ó Dochartaigh travelled to Savannah, GA, to deliver a lecture on 4 March 2018 at the opening of the Project Exhibition in the Mickve Israel Synagogue, Savannah, GA. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Georgia Southern University, via Howard Keeley, provided the academic liaison with both the Consulate-General of Ireland and the Mickve Israel Synagogue. Mickve Israel provided both the lecture theatre and the exhibition space, where the exhibition and related artefacts from Savannah will be on display for 3.5 weeks in March 2018, in the context of Savannah's extensive annual engagement with Ireland in the month of March. The Consulate-General of Ireland covered travel and accommodation for the PI. The event was attended by around 100 people. The footfall into the exhibition will be provided later. |
| Impact | A new academic link has been developed between NUI Galway and Georgia Southern University in the area of Irish Studies. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | HMD 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The PI, Ó Dochartaigh, who has written a chapter on Irish-Jewish autobiography for the publication, hosted a talk and conversation by Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental, who lives in Ireland and has written a memoir of his experience. This was at Ulster University's Belfast campus on 18 January 2018. It was hosted by the University's three campus provosts, featured the project exhibition, and was attended by almost 100 people. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.ulster.ac.uk/ulster-life/events/guest-lecture-to-mark-holocaust-memorial-day-2018 |