‘Facing Pages’ a real treat for culture vultures
BIBLIOPHILES, ART lovers and culture vultures alike are sure to welcome a spine-tingling line-up of Ireland’s leading writers, poets, craftspersons, musicians and photographers at UCC in the coming weeks.
‘Facing Pages: The Art of the Great Book of Ireland’ continues its run at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, UCC, with 11 events scheduled between this Thursday (May 29) and Saturday, July 12.
Intimate lunchtime talks and evening readings by internationally recognised poets and writers are complemented by unique workshops focusing on the creation, care, calligraphy and photography of the Great Book of Ireland. A joint venture by UCC’s Library, School of English and School of Music and Theatre, the closing chapter of the exhibition will feature a colourful ‘musical circus’. The thread connecting them all? The opportunity for the public to gain unparalleled insight into one of Ireland’s most precious cultural resources – and all for free.
Published in 1991 and acquired by UCC in 2013, The Great Book of Ireland captures a significant moment of Ireland’s cultural production, and features poetic texts from some of Ireland’s leading writers.
The public can partake in the following events at the Glucksman Gallery for free:
Thursday 29th May, 1-2pm: Pádraig Ó Macháin, Professor of Modern Irish at UCC, will present a talk called ‘ The Poetry Anthology in Irish tradition’. His research interests include Irish manuscripts and verse, rural unrest in Ireland in the early 19th Century and the literary history of County Waterford.
Thursday 5th June, 6pm: An evening poetry reading by Belfast native Ciarán Carson, the author of numerous collections of poetry, and a winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize amongst many others.
Saturday 7th June, 10am – 4pm: The public can deepen their knowledge of different aspects of The Great Book of Ireland with a masterclass from Paul Curtis, paper conservator at Muckross House, Killarney. ‘Book-binding and Book Conservation’ will reveal the work involved in the creation, care and study of the Great Book of Ireland.
Thursday 12th June, 1pm: A lunchtime talk by photographer John Minihan called ‘Photographing Samuel Beckett’ will centre on some of the most remarkable photographs ever taken of the writer.
Once an apprentice photographer with the Daily Mail, at 21 John became the youngest staff photographer for the Evening Standard. For 30 years he remained in London, developing a close relationship with many writers and his photographs of Samuel Beckett show a particular affinity between the two men.
Thursday 19th June, 6pm: An evening reading by Dublin’s Paula Meehan, who has published five collections of poetry. She has received many awards, including the Marten Toonder Award for Literature, The Butler Literary Award for Poetry and the Denis Devlin Memorial Award.
Thursday 3rd July, 6pm: An evening poetry reading by the acclaimed Eavan Boland, one of the foremost female voices in Irish literature.
Thursday 10th July, 6pm: An evening poetry reading by Cork poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin.
Saturday 12th July, 1pm-3pm: A special concert developed by UCC’s School of Music and Theatre brings ‘ Facing Pages’ to a close. ‘A Circus on The Great Book of Ireland’ will see musicians perform in the intimate surroundings of the galleries, featuring lively responses to The Great Book from musicians and composers. The title is inspired by John Cage’s An Irish Circus on Finnegan’s Wake.
There are several other events on during ‘Facing Pages’ - for further information see http://glucksman.org/facingpages.html