Trinity College set to go the extra MylesA group of writers and academics recently gathered in Vienna to discuss and celebrate the comic genius of Brian O'Nolan/Flann O'Brien/Myles na gCopaleen. Dublin's turn is next, and on October 14th-16th Trinity College's Long Room Hub will host a weekend of lectures, discussions and performances.
The opening lecture on the Friday evening will be given by Irish Timescolumnist Fintan O'Toole; a talk by Paul Fagan of Vienna Universtiy is entitled " The Happy Conviction that One is Not, of All Nincompoops, the Greatest": Meaning, Relevance, and Effects of the Comic and Sublime in Flann O'Brien.
The keynote address by Keith Hopper, of Oxford University, will focus on Flann O'Brien in the 21st century. Anthony Cronin, the author of No Laughing Matter: The Life and Times of Flann O'Brien, joins Louis de Paor and Joseph Brooker for a panel discussion. On October 16th, the venue will be the setting for several performances, including selections from Cruiskeen Lawn performed by Val O'Donnell and a panel discussion with Frank McNally of The Irish Times, the author Ed O'Loughlin and the actor and playwright Arthur Riordan, two of whose plays, Improbable Frequencyand Slattery's Sago Saga, are either about Flann or based on his writing. ( Slattery's Sago Sagareturns as part of the forthcoming Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival.)
At 2pm, The Science of Flann O'Brien, a lecture/performance by Prof Dermot Diamond and Fergus Cronin, takes place in the Hub. At 3.15pm the creator of The Brother, Eamon Morrissey, joins Jocelyn Clarke, who adapted At Swim-Two-Birds– the book Dylan Thomas described as being suitable for "your sister if she's a loud, dirty, boozy girl" – and the actor Kellie Hughes for a discussion on staging O'Brien's works; flann100.wordpress.com.
Tales in the unexpected parts of Dublin city
The Unesco City of Literature programme of events continues this autumn with a series that matches various Dublin locations with a range of literary themes. Under the title Great Writing – Great Places, this unusual programme will take Irish writers and their readers into unexpected places.
Martina Devlin, Marita Conlon-McKenna and Kate Kerrigan will talk about their stories of emigration on board the Jeanie Johnstonfamine ship on September 12th.
The deanery of St Patrick’s Cathedral is the setting for stories of courage and determination with the former hostage Brian Keenan, the former governor of Mountjoy, John Lonergan, and Dave Kenny.
Romance will feature in the appropriate setting of Whitefriar Street Church, the resting place of St Valentine, on October 5th; crime stories at the Four Courts on November 16th; food writing at Fallon Byrne, on Exchequer Street, on October 18th; Matters of Grave Importance will celebrate the writing of some of the literary “residents” of Glasnevin Cemetery in the new museum there on November 2nd; and the crypt in Christ Church will welcome children aged 10 and upwards for tales of terror on November 1st. Free admission; dublincityofliterature.ie.
Talks, gatherings and farces at Ranelagh Fest
Eamonn Morrissey is also on the literary programme for this year's arts festival in Ranelagh, where, on September 13th, he will recall his memories of growing up in the area. The event is part of Ranelagh Fest 2011, which also has a talk by Diarmuid O'Curraoin: The Dream of the Black Panther – James Joyce and the Struggle for National Self-Realisation.Seamus O'Brien will also give an illustrated talk, in Helen Dillon's garden, on his book In the Footsteps of Augustine Henry and his Chinese Plant Collectors. Two of Chekhov's short farces, The Bearand On the Harmfulness of Tobacco, will be performed in the Village Market, and the poet, novelist and playwright Dermot Healy will be interviewed by fellow writer James Ryan; ranelaghfest.com.
