ICIS - the International Congress of Irish Studies

The International Congress of Irish Studies was established to provide an alternative to state/neoliberal narratives of 21^st century Ireland. As a result, it does not accept direct state or corporate donations and funds itself through personal (ie non-corporate!) donations and conference registrations.

So far it has run two successful conferences, one at UC Berkeley and one in Dublin (ICIS 1 and 2)

ICIS 1

See http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/ihouse.html?event_ID=55681

The proceedings were published as

http://www.amazon.com/Ireland-Crisis-Analyses-Proposed-Solutions/dp/1443849650

Tues 10 July

8-30 to 9am Registration and Coffee/Tea

9 am Welcome and introductory comments by Sean O Nuallain (conference chair), and Peter Glazer for UC Berkeley

9-15 am to 10-45 Am First panel on theater; Peter Glazer (Session chair), Jackie Fulmer, Virginia Morris with response by Melanie O'Reilly

10-45 am Tea/Coffee break

11 am to 1pm Joyce presentations – invited papers by

Diarmuid Curraoin (Sandford Park) "Metaphysics and Myth in Joyce"
Jackie Fulmer (UC Berkeley - session chair) “Dilly Dedalus: Tomorrow's Girl and Next World Feminism “

Lunch

Submitted papers
2pm to 2-45 pm Seamus Brennan (UCC) (session chair) ; Milesians, Surnames and YDNA; Irish Identity in the Internet Age

2-45 pm to 3-30 pm Seamus Cain " A New Wave of INNOVATIVE writers and poets, in
Ireland and within the Irish diaspora"

Tea/Coffee break

3-45 pm to 5-30pm The destruction of academic freedom in Ireland; Stephen Myers Watt (session chair), Ignacio Chapela, Sean  O Nuallain

5-30pm Break

6 pm; Maurice Fitzpatrick introduces and shows  his film "The boys of St Columb's" with Q+A afterward

Wed 11 July

8am to 9-30 am
The technology and economy session (Chair Dr Sean O Nuallain)

8 am to 9am

 Presentations via Skype by those in Europe

This includes Harry McGee (8-9am) introduced by Sean O Nuallain
 9 am  "Unethical behavior and the rise and fall of Ireland’s Economy".
Author: Rick Revoir, EdD, MBA, CPA

Revisionism and Race  (Chair Catherine Eagan)

(9-30 am)Micheal o hAodha on Ireland's travelers (an ethnic minority)

10 am “Ireland, Irish Studies, and Ethnonational Narratives of Race”
Dr. Catherine M. Eagan, Las Positas College

10-30 am to 11-15 Ishmael Reed - "Does Irish America Need an Intervention from Ireland?"- introduction by Jackie Fulmer

11-15 Coffee

11-30 am to 1pm The Connemaras; a Gaelic-speaking Midwest experiment
Seamus Cain (session chair), Bridget Connelly
Performers of the Irish script  include Liodain ni hUallachain,  Sean O Nuallain

1pm Lunch

2pm  Cathal MacSwiney-Brugha (UC Dublin), Melanie O’Reilly (chair),  and others on the legacy of Macswiney and the neoliberal assault on Irish musical culture

315pm Coffee

3-30pm to end Submitted papers

Session chair; Conn Mac Aogáin

3-30 to 4-30 pm

Conn Mac Aogáin Lehman College, City University of New York
'The Irish Language and a “Gaeltacht” Language Community in the 21st Century: Re-Imaging and Re-Imagining in a Post-Modern, Post-Tiger Ireland'

4-30 pm Victor Vargas (Claremount) "Who goes with swami?

 5-30pm Stephen Myers Watt (Indiana University) "Neoliberalism, Tenure, and Academic Freedom in American and Ireland"


6pm Closing discussion

 Break

7pm Gaelic Jazz concert

ICIS 2

Dublin/BAC, Ireland, Nov 2013

Confirmed panels include
"Episodes from an incomplete coup"

In the course of the last two decades, lamented failings in Irish political culture an acknowledged democratic deficit at the broader level of the European Union have been a backdrop to numerous more specific incidents where the responsibility of the state and public institutions to serve Ireland's citizenry with impartial prudence has been flouted. These disquieting patterns and certain particulars will here be discussed.

“To declare a new republic, or not?”

The frustration experienced by Ireland's public and, indeed, members of the political class, in the face of a calamitous reality-check amidst the broader international economic crisis, is often told; equally, the tentative-to-meek Irish response, almost without protest, in the face of recent calamity. This panel continues a conversation that has so far failed to ignite real political impetus in seeking renovation of the Irish republic.

“Just Once or with improbable frequency: Can the unlikely success of left-field Irish musical theatre be continued?”

In recent years Ireland has produced high caliber musical theatre across genres, from historical science counter-fact of Improbable Frequency through the biting political satire of Anglo! Of a sudden, it has seemed, Ireland has a burgeoning tradition in quality musical theatre. Participants in this panel consider the possibility of its success being sustained and young talents nurtured in the present economy of arts.

"Intellectual life, academe and common knowledge in Ireland"

Higher education in Ireland is under strain, stretched thin by budget cuts and confused agenda. Intellectual life (whether as vocation or formation) should serve not only to educate an economically productive populace, but also the production and circulation of knowledge as a common good. This panel invites discussants to reflect upon their experience of the ideal University in Ireland, however imperfectly embodied, not only in educational institutions, but also in the public sphere, where journalism and the media are integral to the kind of 'information economy' that is indispensable for real democracy.

The deadline for abstracts, which can be up to 300 words, is Oct 5 2013; however, potential participants for the panels and indeed proposals for other panels will be accepted until Oct 15.

There is a suggested fee of 40 Euro per session, 100 Euro for all sessions.
Cheques should be made payable to Nous Research, Dublin 4.

Students are encouraged to attend any single session of especial interest without payment.
No-one will be turned away for want of funds.

For further details about ICIS, proposals for any additional panel and submission of abstracts please contact feargus@gmail.com or seanoig@gmail.com

Provisional schedule;
 Nov 8 10am – 1pm

9 am – noon Episodes from an incomplete coup

Session chair/moderator  Prof Des O’Neill

Des O’Neill  “The failed privatization of the Irish medical system”

Break 10-30 am tea/coffee

11 am Sean O Nuallain "From social partnership to corporatism and beyond; the state and Irish civil society"

Moderated discussion

Noon
(Provisional) Press conference on the state's collusion with criminals in defrauding Irish musicians

Nov 8 2pm- 4pm Intellectual Freedom Session chair/moderator Feargus Denman

2pm Cathal Macswiney Brugha "Terence MacSwiney and Intellectual Freedom"
3pm round-table discussion chaired by Feargus Denman
 4pm Break  am tea/coffee

4-30pm submitted papers


Nov 9 10am – 1 pm
Panel discussion on the perceived necessity for a second republic, to be chaired/moderated by Demond Fennell.

Joe McCarthy (fiasco.ie) “Hanging chads and other garbage: waste, power and voting in the first Irish republic”

Break 11 am tea/coffee

11-15 Sean O Nuallain “The Tim Pat Coogan/Dan Rooney visa affair: does the USA really support the idea of a united 32-county Irish republic?"
11-45Desmond Fennell
12-15 Cathal Macswiney Brugha "The second Dail and the first Irish republic"
12-45 Gabriel Rosenstck; "From Christ to Krishnamurphy; postchristian secular Europe's search for its roots" Discussion

1-30 Lunch

Nov 9 2pm  - 5pm

: "Independent artists and undependable regulators: rights and oversight in
the Irish music industry"
Introduction 2-30pm  “The Irish music scam; how corruption in IMRO and the state regulatory bodies destoyed one of Ireland's flagship industries” (conference chair)
2-40 Melanie O'Reilly: "The Irish music biz: celtic mysteries, hiddenagendas, and why I became a singing detective."
Reply/amlpification by Danny Macarthy

3-45 pm Tea!coffee
4pm “Just once or with improbable frequency; can the success of Irish musical theater be continued?”Panel discussion, chaired by Ronan Smith who will make introductory comments

. Discussants include Arthur Riordan, Ronan Smith,Melanie O’Reilly

Taking one for the team; the Irish state's attempt to stop Greece getting a debt relief deal

We are witnessing the dying years of the first Irish republic. It has been traversed by various rough beasts, all slouching across the nation in the past generation. Echoes of these ideologies linger in the body politic;

• A very extreme ideological neoliberalism, with the country essentially been put in the hands of international banksters;
• An extended flirtation with neoconservatism, a flirtation that almost undoubtedly would have been consummated had e-voting (ie no elections) been installed;
• 32-county nationalism, based on the principles of the 1916 proclamation on which the state is founded

Given the lack of our education of our administration, it is unlikely that any of them could even understand how their views had changed as each of these ideas took possession of them in their all-too-long careers. For example, Taoiseach Kenny – who inherited his father's seat – has been a parliamentarian for 40 years, and has no accomplishments or qualifications of any sort. Insofar as one can say this, he is too intellectually slow to be a modern PM.

What prompts this post is that it turns out that much of the suffering in Ireland since 2011 has been inflicted at the hands of neoliberal ideologue Michael Noonan;

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/noonan-dismisses-ashoka-mody-comments-on-debt-writedown-1.2105893

For readers not familiar with Ireland, the “odious” debt referred to is “junior” debt ie unsecured bonds issued by private banks and - for the first time in world history – imposed on the sovereign ie the taxpayer. As Mody points out, this imposition ran contrary to this government's election manifesto. In short, Mody – as the IMF lead in Ireland – was waiting for Noonan to ask for a debt writedown. Noonan did not do so; had he done so, it has clearly been IMF policy since 2008 to allow a writedown.

Noonan ran for election as PM in 2002 and achieved his party's worst-ever result. I now work in Reboot Ireland with some of the young talent who put fine Gael back together again; FG's loss is our gain

There are various explanations for Noonan's “we took one for the team” as he put it. One is a sincere belief in this neoliberal world order, a belief no longer shared even by its erstwhile economist cheerleaders like Brad de Long of UC Berkeley. Another is simply that he was bribed to sell out Ireland. A final one may be found in the fact that he has abandoned even his few friends in Limerick, the few people willing to tolerate him of a Saturday night, and wants to mingle with the Davos set.

For any Greeks reading this, we Irish are embarrassed by this buffoon;

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/any-greek-rescue-deal-will-need-d%C3%A1il-sanction-noonan-1.2105801

The astonishing result is that 32-county Irish nationalism, stripped of its Catholicism, is now the prevailing ideology in Ireland and Sinn Fein is the most popular party. Take it that SF will favour a debt deal for everyone, even if we get kicked out of the poisonous embrace of the EU as a result

PS It turns out that Varoufakis  was part of the "troops out" movement   and sings republican ballads. The first Sinn Fein finance minister?

PPS The essential problem with the current neoliberal world order is that democracy has survived the assault from e-voting. The  neoliberal campaign aginst the nation-state is otherwise perfect;

1, Replace authochtonous culture with American garbage ( a la the MTV awards in Dublin, 1999)

2. Create a massive state debt, if necessary by illegally assigning private debt to the sovereign

3. Impose austerity, with rolling privatization, to repay this debt

4. Create fortress parliaments  - currently happening in Ireland - so that the corporate whores masquerading as "politicians" will feel victimized, yet safe. One of syriza's fuist moves in govt was doing away with the barricades.

But the fools, the fools! This new order suits at best 20% of the population, the rest are sick of austerity  and we will get a united Ireland out of it......

PPPS It is a script straight from the British version of “The office”. The Gervais character (accidentally/out of pique as it happens but we don't yet know that) takes a principled stand that turns out to be popular. He is due his moment in the sun, and journos gather – twice.

The first time he makes a non-announcement to “reboot” things. At the next, it is surely going to be carelessness rather than accident if he blows it. A hush descends as the journos await the hitherto unsuspected depths in this bumptious character.

Instead he announces that they've been awaiting his “brand” and party title. He then presses “Play” on a DVD player and they are confronted with an ethics officer – a finance adviser. The new party is called “renua”. (For the record, I never joined it and never will)

A hush descends as you laugh uncontrollably at the TV. As the closing credits roll, one of the pols who has hitched his wagon to the Gervais character in interviewed on live radio – but blanks out, as the Gervais character has given his party no policies along with a double-bind; don't let the party down.

Reboot/renua could have a wide range of policies by now. I know that for a fact as I wrote an extensive policy document on IP and presented it to acclaim at UC Berkeley of Feb 13 2015. Reboot/renua knew this and Ross McCarthy, director of policy admonished me beforehand not to let the “movement” down. So what happened?

Pols do not want to be constrained by policies and prefer to make them up on the fly; that is what went wrong with the Greens in Ireland. The most generous interpretation is that they came from FG, where policies are written by consultants, and saw the new political party as a marketing firm that naturally did not have any particular product/policy, the better to be able to sell ANYTHING However, the existence on an “ethics” officer, however ludicrous, suggests a darker story and I will end this PS on that note.

Many of the Reboot/renua have not really left FG socially. It makes sense that what Creighton is attempting is to rope a few thousand people in on a truly Kafkaesque (“The castle”) mission wherein they are permanently unsure of being on the right track. They then can be prosecuted by an “ethics” officer. Little Ross McCarthy, director of policy, ensures that no policies are ever finished to ensure FG-friendliness

So Lucy can rejoin FG with her new, browbeaten members at a price of her choosing. As it happens, she could have succeeded by doing it straight and honestly. She and the others will now lose their seats

Academic Tenure revisited

In 2002, I was illegally dismissed from my tenured job at DCU. The “university” (which has never been accredited) used a little-known provision in the 1990 industrial relations act that allows single dismissals, putting every public service job in Ireland at risk. It has never returned even the clothes i left there, let alone my software. Several generous settlement offers were made; I chose instead to expose the issue through the industrial relations process, and have refused the monies awarded to me.

Paul Cahill, the object of another pogrom by DCU, asked me in 2008 to take over academictenure.blogspot.com in order to expose what was going on. In 2009, before my case, I received legal advice it would damage my chances for reinstatement. I left it up.

In 2012, Cahill destroyed the blog. I still have maintained most of it on another blog and in my book “Ireland in crisis”. Cahill should reinstate the blog in its original form

However, having fought so hard for academic tenure, it is clear to me that many - if not most – of the academics hired since the Celtic tiger years are not fit for purpose. A pro-active hiring on non-Irish people commenced in the 1990's leading to the likes of this;

http://events.berkeley.edu/?event_ID=85634&date=2015-02-11&tab=all_events

We cannot ask Irish people to pay 100k+ for nonsense such as this event. I propose the following revision of tenure, with staff being offered early retirement if the new scenario, wherein they have a “hunting license” and office rather than a guaranteed huge salary, is not appealing. MOOCS allow academics attract huge audiences;

●No-one should lose tenure; conversely, academics should give more value for money

●Tenure’s elements should be distinguished; freedom from redundancy, the right to offer courses  and a place of work until 65 upheld for “legacy” academics but pay, the right to supervise students at graduate level and so on should be made subject to performance.

●Indeed, there is a case for granting tenure to well-performing private college academics

●We are trying to free the academic process from the state and simultaneously to ease taxpayers’ burden