| Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar Series |
| Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar Series 12 March 2024 4.30pm Melbourne time. In person. Jabiru Room, Newman College Live streamed via zoom, see below. Sarah Howe, National Chair of the Australian Fabians and a member of the Australian Labor Party. “Beyond the sectarian model? Voting and the future of Northern Ireland”By Sarah Howe and Charles Richardson This paper reflects upon the win by Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland Assembly election of May 2022, which ended the previously unbroken domination of the politics of the province by Protestant unionists.However, there are questions about the practical significance of the result, particularly in the way it was accompanied by the rise of non-sectarian parties. With an increasing number of voters who no longer take the sectarian divide as the main feature of the political landscape, there are hopes of a more ‘normal’ party system, where social or economic issues drive political allegiance. But in that situation, what becomes of Northern Ireland as a separate entity?The paper makes use of qualitative methods, including interviews conducted at the time with voters in Northern Ireland, as well as an analysis of trends in recent election results, down to the local elections held in May 2023. We also note the significance of the most recent census figures, which show Catholics outnumbering Protestants for the first time. We briefly summarise the current political gridlock and ask whether it may be more than just a short-term effect of divisions over Brexit, and may instead reflect a breakdown of the political and demographic assumptions on which Northern Ireland’s identity has been based. Sarah Howe travelled to Belfast to observe the Northern Ireland Assembly Election held in May this year. In this article, she reflects upon the win by Sinn Féin, breaking years of domination by Protestant unionists. However, the election also told the story of the rise of non-sectarian parties in Northern Ireland. This paper will examine this trend and ask whether this means that sectarianism is on the decline, and instead economic and social issues are the main concern of voters. Sarah Howe is the National Chair of the Australian Fabians and a member of the Australian Labor Party. Charles Richardson is a Melbourne-based political philosopher and expert on European elections. As always this is a free public seminar open to every one. It starts at 4.30pm in the Jabiru Room, Newman College, Swanston St, Carlton. Also live streamed via zoom: Join Zoom Meeting https://victoriauniversity.zoom.us/j/82319677090?pwd=L3djT0JuVEt2ckprbno2c0Fjd2ppdz09Meeting ID: 823 1967 7090 Passcode: 533709MISS co-convenors: Philip Bull (La Trobe University) Frances Devlin-Glass (Deakin University) Dianne Hall (Victoria University) Ronan McDonald, (University of Melbourne)Elizabeth Malcolm (University of Melbourne) |
| Our website is https://isaanz.org/irish-studies-association-of-australia-and-new-zealand/events/miss-seminars/ |
Official Opening of the new home of the Celtic Club
His Excellency Tim Mawr will be in Melbourne for the Opening of the Celtic Club on Monday 11 November at 5pm. The week preceding St Pat’s will no doubt attract the Club’s membership, anxious to see their new home. The refurbished premises, to be known as The Wild Geese, is at the southern end of Sydney Road, Brunswick on the corner of Brunswick Road, formerly the site of the iconic Sarah Sands (dating from the 1850s).
A sophisticated venue, featuring a non-kitsch Irish aesthetic, it has housed a series of earlier Irish pubs, notably the Sarah Sands and Bridie O’Reilly’s. Upstairs will be for members, and downstairs for both the general public and members.
It will prioritise Irish food and beverages, and The Wild Geese bistro’s head chef is Paul Dargan from Belfast.
New members warmly welcomed.
Comhaltas Queenscliff Weekend
All ages welcome on 11-14 March
St Patrick’s Day Celebrations
Adelaide
Brisbane Irish Festival
2-17 March. It’s huge:
A Parade on 16 March, a Family Festival Day, and Concert, on 10 March, a Mass, Dinner, QIA Lunch and the Story Bridge will be Green. And more!
For more details: https://brisbaneirishfestival.com.au
And in Perth
For all the events, see https://www.stpatricksday.com.au/perth/
In Sydney
It’s happening at the Rocks, free family fun, 16-17 March – parade, music, and much more. More information.
BOOK LAUNCH IN Adelaide
Sunday April 14 at 2pm Adelaide Irish Club 13-15 Carrington Street
Wakefield Press and Adelaide Irish Club are pleased to invite you to the launch of Irish Women in the Antipodes: Foregrounded, edited by Susan Arthure, Stephanie James, Dymphna Lonergan and Fidelma McCorry to, and launched by Dr Kiera Lindsey, South Australia’s History Advocate.
Irish Women in the Antipodes: Foregrounded is a collection of Irish women’s contributions to life in the Antipodes, stories that have been neglected or insufficiently acknowledged. The contributors have used all available tools to find these women in the archives, public records, newspapers, and family histories, taking them from the proverbial footnotes of history to the foreground.
Tinteán 