New Voices Conference 2007

St Patrick's College was alive with energy and vitality on Friday and Saturday, April 20th and 21st, as over 60 papers were read, debated and discussed by more than 100 emerging and established literary critics attending the ninth New Voices in Irish Criticism International Postgraduate conference, Voicing Dissent, hosted by the English Department.  The research students had travelled from 22 separate colleges and universities in the US, Europe and all over Ireland.  The sixteen panels on literature, education and cultural matters were chaired by academics from St. Patrick’s College, Trinity College Dublin, UCD, Queen’s University Belfast and NUI Maynooth.  The conference continued in the New Voices tradition of encouraging debate and exchange between new and old voices in the field.

The keynote lecture, 'In a Landlord's Garden: Synge and Parnell', was given to enthusiastic acclaim by Dr. PJ Mathews (UCD) on Saturday evening.  The subtle vision and resolute focus for which Dr. Mathews’s work is renowned was very much in evidence in this talk, which opened up exciting new avenues of critical enquiry in Irish Studies.  The lecture, was chaired by Professor Declan Kiberd (UCD).  Friday evening saw an exciting discussion on the topic, ‘The Creative Voice in Today’s Society: More Compliant than Defiant?'  The panel of critics and artists considering the question included: Professor Terence Brown (TCD), Micheal O Siadhail and Professor Anne Fogarty (UCD). Dr. Mary Shine Thompson, Dean of Research and Humanities (St Patrick’s College), chaired the session and encouraged argument from the floor from other established critics and artists and, of course, from new voices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Friday May 04 2007