Atlanta and the South East 1916 Centenary Programme
The Ireland 2016 centenary programme has a special focus on the United States, in recognition of the unique ties – both historical and contemporary – which bind our countries and peoples.
Ireland’s connections in America’s South East are deep and diverse. People from across the island of Ireland, including those with Scots-Irish heritage, have contributed to the special character of this region for more than 300 years. Our music and song have contributed to the formation of the culture of the American South and therefore retain a special resonance for local audiences.
The centenary programme in the US is exciting and rich in cultural, community and academic events. Below are details for the events taking place in Atlanta and the South East:
March 6, 2016: The Consulate General of Ireland’s 1916 Centenary Concert – a Celebration of Irish Culture
This family-friendly event will be held at the Ferst Center for the Arts from 4.00pm on March 6. Featured artists include The Willis Clan, favorites on The Grand Ole Opry and the TLC network, and Grammy-nominated, Dublin-born singer/guitarist legend John Doyle. Also appearing will be Gateway Performance Productions with an excerpt of the new presentation “We Have Risen”, a 1916 centenary performance with an African American dimension. The event has been made possible with the support of the Consulate General of Ireland, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the City of Atlanta (Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs through Power2Give.org/Atlanta) and Fitzgerald & CO. Tickets are available from the Ferst Center Box Office, 404 894 9601: adults $10.00 with parking included; children under 18 free, with phone booking required.
March 12, 2016: We Have Risen
Gateway Performance Productions and the Consulate General of Ireland will present We Have Risen, A commemoration of the Irish journey to freedom in drama, dance and song with an historic African-American dimension, at 6.00pm on March 12 at the Masonic Center Auditorium, 1690 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30309. We Have Risen is presented in cooperation with the Helene S. Mills Senior Multipurpose Facility and the Dekalb School of the Arts. It is conceived and directed by Sandra Hughes. This performance is made possible by City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, the Consulate General of Ireland and the Fulton County Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Admission and parking (off Deering Rd. behind the building) will be free. To reserve seats: gatewaypp@masktheatre.org or 404 222 9262.
March-May, 2016: We Banjo 3 in concert
This award-winning quartet from Galway, We Banjo 3 delivers a ground breaking mixture of Irish Music and Old Time American and Bluegrass influences. Part of Culture Ireland’s I am Ireland programme.
March 12: Music City Irish Festival, Nashville, Tennessee
March 13: Mountain Stage Radio, Charleston WV
April 29 – May 1: Merlefest, Wilkesboro, North Carolina
March 2016: The Gloaming in concert
To coincide with the release of their second album, the trad supergroup, The Gloaming will perform at festivals in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Part of Culture Ireland’s I am Ireland programme.
March 24: Savannah Music Festival, Savannah, Georgia
March 26: Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
March 31: Big Ears Festival 2016, Knoxville, Tennessee
April 4, 2016: Professor Joseph Lee to speak on "The Easter 1916 Rising in Ireland in Historical Perspective" at the College of Charleston
This address by the Glucksman Chair of Irish History at New York University is presented by Consulate General of Ireland and the College of Charleston’s Irish and Irish American Studies. It forms part of an Easter Rising Series being run by the College of Charleston through March and April. The event will be open to the public and free to attend.
April 14, 2016: Keynote address by Professor Roy Foster at Georgia State University
Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University and author of Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923, will deliver the College of Arts and Sciences Plummer Lecture at Georgia State University on April 14. This talk will also serve as the keynote address for the Southern regional meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS). Professor Foster’s lecture will take place in the Speakers Auditorium, Student Center Building, Georgia State University, 44 Courtland Street, Atlanta, at 5:00 pm on April 14, 2016. A plenary address will also be delivered Dr Roisín Higgins on the politics of commemoration at 2:00 pm on April 15 in the same venue. Both of these lectures will be free and open to the public. They are presented by Georgia State University, Georgia Humanities, the Consulate General of Ireland, and Emory University.
April 15,2016: Screening of Notre Dame’s 1916 - The Irish Rebellion in Atlanta
On April 15 at 7.00pm, the Consulate General of Ireland will host a special screening of the Notre Dame documentary, 1916: The Irish Rebellion, at the Plaza Cinema in Atlanta. The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame and Prof Roy Foster will introduce the screening. Tickets will be issued to the public at no cost. Check the Consulate’s website in late March for ticket details.
April 26-27, 2016: Arís Theatre’s staged reading of The Plough and the Stars
With support from the Consulate General of Ireland, Arís Theatre will present a staged reading of the seminal play to mark the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising Ireland at 7.30pm at The Morris & Rae Frank Theatre, at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. A Q&A session will follow. Tickets will cost $10.00.