The Irish Contribution

 

The second lecture in the current Seamus Heaney Lecture Series, entitled 'The IRISH CONTRIBUTION' was given by the distinguished playwright and former Professor of English at UCG, Thomas Kilroy and chaired by Dr Catherine Leeney.  It was a night of stars—Brian Friel was in the audience, as was, to everyone's delighted surprise, Seamus Heaney.  All of Tom Kilroy's legendary traits were in evidence: knowledge, balance, fine delivery, total absence of ego.  Having shed light on the key issue of Yeats's dramatic allegiance, his lack of ease with both the post-Restoration English tradition (which culminates in Wilde and Shaw) and the then new Catholic approach represented by Colum and Murray, he very ingeniously connected many of these isues with such recent young dramatists as Eugene O'Brien, Stella Fehily and, in answer to a question, Marina Carr.  He also acknowledged the unique influence of Tom Murphy.

Brian Friel, Catherine Leeney, Thomas Kilroy, Anne O'Reilly, Seamus Heaney, Pat Burke.

 

The next and third lecture in the current series will be delivered by renowned academic Ania Loomba on Monday 27 November at 8.00p.m.

 

 

 

Last Updated: Wednesday November 15 2006