Harriet Island - August 10-12
Free Admission!
Irish Fair Summer School
August 9, 2007
The main focus and mission of the Summer School is to deepen and enrich our audience's appreciation for Irish culture and heritage through immersing them in lectures, workshops, documentaries and discussions.
Download an application - pay online
The third annual Summer School will take place on August 9, 2007, on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas.
Sessions will start at 10 am and conclude in the evening with a presentation from distinguished and celebrated Irish musician Sean Tyrrell. Attendees have the option of registering for the complete day – with or without meals – or for just the evening session.
In preparation for the Summer School, a book club meets regularly throughout the year discussing books and topics that will be a part of the Summer School.
To register, download an application. You can send in a check with your registration or pay with credit card online. For more information about the Summer School or book club, contact Patrick O'Donnell at 651-699-4936.
Schedule for August 9 Summer School
10:00-11:00 Center for Irish Music
The students, teachers, and performers involved in this dynamic new school of music will showcase their talents.
11:00-12:00: Songs in the Irish Language
Giggin’ Síles and The Fuchsia Band
The lads from Cork City’s Fuchsia join the ladies from Minnesota’s Giggin’ Síles.
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00- 2:00 Understanding Ireland Today
Consul General Sean Farrell
How has Ireland transformed itself economically, politically, socially, and culturally in the last fifteen years.
2:00-3:00 The Fiction of John McGahern
"John McGahern: Telling it as it is: transforming the everyday extraordinarily"
Derek Hand Professor of English, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland.
3:00-4:00 The Irish Contribution to the Guthrie Theater
Peg Guilfoyle: Author of The Guthrie Theater: Images, History, and Inside Stories.
4:00 – 4:15 Break
4:15 – 5:30 20 Years of Publishing The Irish Gazette without an Irish Community Center
Irish newspaper publishers Jim Brooks and Mary Sue McFarland join representatives of Failte Minnesota to discuss the history of their paper and its championing of an Irish Community Center for Minnesota.
5:30 – 6:30 Irish Cinema
"Paddy Lost" the fate of the Irish male in Irish Cinema.
John Gleeson: Center for Celtic Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
6:30 – 7:30 Dinner
7:30 – 7: 40 Kieran Folliard: Introducing the Irish Legacy Fund
Chair of the Minnesota Irish Fair Board.
7:40 – 9:00 Sean Tyrrell: The Life and Times of John Boyle O’Reilly: An Irish Literary and Musical Odyssey.
Distinguished and celebrated Irish musician, Sean Tyrrell, brings the life of the famous Irish-American crusader and newspaper editor, John Boyle O’Reilly, to the stage of the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium.
Children’s Theatre Workshop: Irish Theater Express: Creation of an Original Performance in one day. 9:00-5pm
Finn McCool and the Salmon of Knowledge is the Irish folktale that will be transformed in this children’s theater workshop. Cost: $25 per child. Enrollment is limited. Performance will be on Sunday, August 13th, in the Showboat at the Irish Fair on Harriet Island. Due to limited enrollment when registering also contact Sarah Cromer-Ben Said at 651-249-5517 or email at starngt@hotmail.com to confirm.
Music Classes for Children and Adults.
Singing Sweeties (for kids 3-8 years old)
Students will learn a few traditional Irish children’s songs and have lots of fun in the process. Students in this class will be invited to perform a piece at the Irish Fair of Minnesota during a Center for Irish Music performance.
Thursday, August 9 from 1-2pm
Cost: $15 per student
Please contact Kate Dowling at irish.music@comcast.net or 651-493-2022 to enroll.
One-Hit-Wonders (for adults who already play an instrument)
This class is designed for those of you who played the flute/violin/piano way back in high school and are interested in dusting it off and getting your “chops” back up! We’ll try a few tunes with sheet music and students will have a CD of the material to take home for practice. Students in this class will be invited to perform their One-Hit-Wonder at the Irish Fair of Minnesota during a Center for Irish Music performance.
Thursday, August 9 from 3-4:30
Cost: $20 per student (includes $5 material cost)
*Students must already know how to play their instrument – individual instruments will not be taught.