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- September, 2004: The "senior ladies" of the incredible Academy of Irish Music not only displayed their extraordinary musical talent, but also gave some incite into the individual musicians themselves as they answer prepared and impromptu questions from the attendees. These talented young ladies are without doubt our next generation of "exceptional Celtic women."
The Academy of Irish Music is the creation and inspiration of Noel Rice. It currently has a wonderful CD - Cruinn available from their website produced in 2003, and a new 2004 CD due out soon which will feature many of the young ladies who performed at the September meeting. Their CD's may be purchased from the Academy's website at www.academyofirishmusic.org
- October, 2004:
Claudia Traudt, lecturer in the University of Chicago Basic
Program and PhD candidate at the University of
Chicago spoke on "Helen, Sheba and Crazy Jane:
Vivid Women in the Work of W.B. Yeats." Ms. Traudt has
studied, loved, taught and lectured on W.B. Yeats and
James Joyce for over twenty years. Her enjoyment of Yeats
was infectious, her sense of humor is well evident, and the
program proved to be an entertaining as well as educational
evening. Her program included a handout of several of the
topical poems she read, and a copy can be obtained by sending
an e-mail to msmith@luc.edu. Claudia closed her program by
reading a portion of
In Memory of W. B. Yeats , a beautiful poem written by W. H. Auden as an obituary to Yeats.
- November, 2004:
Dr. Janet Nolan of Loyola University's History Department
presented a program that focused on the educational legacy of
early Irish women immigrants in America. Dr. Nolan has conducted
extensive research on Irish and Irish-American women's education,
migration, and mobility in the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries; Irish and Irish-American teachers. She has written
several books on her research, including her latest book,
Servants of the Poor: Teachers and Mobility in Ireland and
Irish America.
Dr. Nolan's research demonstrated the number of young Irish
women who brought their National Irish education with them
when they migrated to America to become maids and servants.
Their daughters, thanks to the high educational level of their
mothers, became the majority of public school teachers in such
cities as Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. A question and
answer session at the end of the program revealed that a few of
the attendees' own grandmothers and mothers had followed the pattern
described by Dr. Nolan.
Janet Nolan's book Servants of the Poor: Teachers and Mobility
in Ireland and Irish America may be purchased from
Notre Dame Press. Her previous books may be purchased from Amazon.com.
- April 2004: This was our kickoff "trial" meeting, and
featured our upcoming January 2005 speaker, Patricia Monaghan. Did you know that New Grange in Ireland was built before the pyramids in Egypt? Or that the Order of St. Bridget maintained an "eternal" fire to the goddess/saint until the later 19th century...and have recently returned to Ireland and rekindled the flame?
At our April meeting, using slides and a wealth of knowledge, author Patricia Monaghan took us a journey through Megalithic, Celtic and early Christian Ireland. We visited the Mountains of the Hag and the Gailleach, the Celtic Brigit and the Saint Brigit, Celtic "holy grounds," and explored the geography, history and legends of Ireland.
More information about Pat Monaghan as well as information on the several books she has authored or co-authored can be found on her website at http://www.altogether.com/patricia/ Pat has also consented to return to CWI-Chicago and present a program on Brigit for our January meeting.
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