The Kylemore Abbey Global Centre, along with partners from across the University of Notre Dame campus, has launched the Kylemore Book Club, an open, multimedia, educational enrichment program featuring Notre Dame’s expert faculty. Relevant themes will be selected, and participants will be invited to join four weekly meetings to discuss books, excerpts, films, and other materials.
Themes
To Hell or to Connacht: Stories of Irish Resilience
The fifth installment of the Kylemore Book will focus on the history, politics and culture of the west of Ireland. Kylemore is located in Connemara, Co Galway in the province of Connacht often cited as the cultural heart of Ireland. Known for the unblemished landscape imbued by legends, for years it has been a sanctuary for writers, musicians and artists, it is equally known for the inclement weather, harsh landscape and mass emmigration. This series will explore what is it about the west of Ireland that is so unique and enigmatic?
Anticipatory Innovation - Capitalizing on Change in Turbulent Times
This February, join scholars, leaders, and poets for a discussion surrounding anticipatory innovation and resilience. Whether you’re a business owner, a manager, a teacher, a student, or retired, these discussions will prove invaluable in the current times.
An Irish Christmas at Kylemore
Travel to Kylemore Abbey — virtually — this December for some Christmas cheer with readings, performances, and recipes. The Kylemore Book Club will celebrate the season with Notre Dame and local faculty showcasing choral choirs, art textile and painting, fiction, and a Victorian Christmas at Kylemore.
Understanding the Body with W.B. Yeats & James Joyce
This series, led by Declan Kiberd, will draw our focus closer to the human body, inviting readers to consider how the body is represented in the work of Irish authors W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and Eavan Boland.
Introducing readers to these two towering figures of Irish literature, the following themes will be discussed: the relationship between mind and body; the body in pain; the body in Irish history; and the body set free. Guest speakers will join Declan during some of these sessions.
Literature & Film in Lockdown
The debut program, “Literature and Film in Lockdown,” is led by Professor of English and Donald R. Keough Family Professor of Irish Studies Barry McCrea.
Literary accounts teach us that plagues and pandemics have recurred sporadically throughout human history, that sooner or later, they pass; that the timing of their passing is maddeningly unknowable; and that in the meantime, people must come up with strategies to psychologically navigate the strange, silent waters of life in lockdown.