An opening reception for "A Journey into Ireland's Literary Revival," an exhibit of images collected for Robert Todd Felton's book, A Journey into Ireland's Literary Revival, will be held at the Borgia Gallery in the Mary Dooley College Center Sunday, September 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

These photographs and images capture the homes and haunts of such writers as poet William Butler Yeats, playwright John Millington Synge, and myth collector Lady Augusta Gregory. Images will bring viewers from Lady Gregory's Galway home to Yeats' Sligo shores to O'Casey's Dublin streets.

The collection features both images taken from the book as well as previously unpublished shots.

The free exhibit will continue through Monday, September 22. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. He will sign copies of his book ($22) at the reception. For further information and to view some of his photos visit his website: www.rtoddfelton.com.

Informational Meeting about our Special 2009 10th Anniversary Tour to Ireland, Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. in the Fontbonne Room (1st Floor), Mary Dooley Campus Center, Elms College, 291 Springfield Street, Chicopee. Come and learn more about our upcoming 11-Day "Journey of the Soul" tour (April 19-29, 2009) that will take us along the scenic Southern Coastline of Ireland in beautiful springtime. The meeting will run approximately 1 hour with a slide presentation and will cover all the details of the tour. So that you will not be disappointed, we kindly ask you to be prepared to make an initial $300 deposit per person to secure your reservation. An optional travel protection plan (highly recommended) is also offered at $152 and must be paid at the time of your initial deposit. Our spaces are limited and we will take reservations on a first come, first serve basis.

Call Kathy Gallivan for more information at (413) 536-9709 or the Irish Cultural Center. (See April 2009, Upcoming Events, for more details on the trip.)

Once (2007, Drama, 88 min, rated R)
When not playing for change, an Irish street musician (Glen Hansard) fixes vacuum cleaners in his father's repair shop. One day, a flower-selling Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova) shows up with her broken vacuum and announces that she is also a musician. Drawn to each other, and to each other's musical talents, they embark on an eventful week of music and friendship.

Patrick (2004, Documentary, 60 min, not rated)
Few historical figures inspire more celebration than St. Patrick. Many believe him to have been an Irishman who drove the snakes from Ireland, but neither is true. This story of the real St. Patrick is part adventure tale and part spiritual awakening. Watch his transformation from slave to liberator while learning to forgive his enemies and take up a cause no one believed in. His passion lit the fire that kept western civilization alive. Narrated by Academy Award winner Liam Neeson with Gabriel Byrne as the voice of Patrick.

Secrets of the Dead: Irish Escape (2007, Documentary, 60 min, not rated)
It has been called the most outrageous escape story in the history of the high seas. In the mid 1870's, Irish patriot John Devoy hatched a plan to free six Irish political prisoners from an impenetrable jail in Western Australia. Under the guise of a typical whaling expedition, New Bedford native Captain George Smith Anthony and his crew sailed to the other side of the world to free the men from their unbearable sentence. Will their attempt be successful or will bad seas and a confrontation with a British steamer end the plan?

Gaelic Storm: Live in Chicago (2006, Concert, 120 min, not rated)
Filmed live at the House of Blues in Chicago, Gaelic Storm performs some of their greatest songs in this exciting performance! See them as they were meant to be seen…up close and personal. For those of you who are attending their next appearance at the Calvin Theater in Northampton on September 21, this show will keep the party going. For those who have other plans that Saturday, this concert is a toe tapping experience you won't soon forget.

The Alumnae Library is handicap accessible. For further information, call the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College at (413) 265-2537 or check the web site www.irish-cairde.org

The Irish Cultural Center will host a "Wine Tasting with an Irish Accent" as a fundraiser to support the Elms College Irish Studies Program on Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Mary Dooley Campus Center. Tickets at $30 each may be ordered from the Center at (413) 265-2537 or purchased at Cabot Liquor, 220 Exchange Street, Chicopee. Tickets may be purchased at $30 each.

The drinks will be provided by Cabot Liquor (Chicopee) and will include various wines (including "Irish wines"--yes, there are a few!), Irish beers, hard ciders and spirits. Soft drinks/water will also be served. Aramark Food Services will provide refreshments: Irish cheeses (Kerrygold Dubliner and Killarney), crackers and a fruit tray, Dubliner pasta, and salad. We'll even have an Irish (aka Chinese) raffle. Come and meet your friends at a great social event and help this good cause!

The Irish Studies minor at Elms College is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes Irish history, literature and culture. Study abroad is an important component of the program. Seven Elms students were fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of a 2-week immersion program in Ireland this past June (2008) at Innisfree International College, County Sligo. Fundraising events sponsored by the Irish Cultural Center will help to enhance their college studies and continue this "experience of a lifetime." (For more information about the Irish Studies Minor, visit http://www.elms.edu/academics/Undergraduate/hfa_irish.htm)

Click here for the Sponsor/Order Form

The Irish Cultural Center anticipates the celebration of its tenth anniversary in October 2009 with a year of celebration. We begin with a lecture series in the fall entitled: "The Ubiquity of Religion in Irish Studies." All lectures will take place in the Alumnae Library Theater, which is handicapped accessible.

We will feature three Irish Studies professors, one in each month. The series is funded by the Irish Consul, Boston. In the spring we will announce several other lectures following the same theme.

On September 28, 2008, 2:00 p.m. Dr. Thomas Moriarty, Elms History Professor Emeritus will address the topic: "Pope, Patrick and Monk: How Christianity Took Root in Ireland"

On October 26, 2008, 2:00 p.m. we welcome Peggy O'Brien, English Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose topic is "Poets on Pilgrimage: Lough Derg as an icon of Catholicism and Nationalism"

On November 23, 2008, 2:00 p.m. Dr. Damien Murray, Elms history Professor will address the topic: "Either Ireland is right or Bolshevism is right: The Catholic Church and Irish American Nationalism after World War I"

10TH Anniversary Tour --11-Day Customized Tour of Ireland

In celebration of the upcoming 10th Anniversary of the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College, the Center is sponsoring its fourth "Journey of the Soul" tour to Ireland exploring Ireland's Scenic Southern Coastline (April 19-29, 2009). If you've always wanted to experience the best of the Emerald Isle or follow your ancestral trail, this is the time-visit Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Bantry Bay, Wicklow Mountains, New Ross, Blarney, Midleton, Limerick, Bunratty and more. You will visit the "real" Ireland that embraces the warm hospitality of the Irish people and the beautiful countryside.

Come in beautiful springtime to experience eleven magical days as we visit the medieval town of Kilkenny and its castle, step back in time at the 6th century monastic site of St. Kevin in Glendalough, stroll through Avoca-the setting for the PBS-TV series "Ballykissangel" and home of Ireland's oldest handweaver's mill, kiss the Blarney Stone, cruise along historic Kinsale Harbour on the "Spirit of Kinsale", and follow in the footsteps of famine emigrants as we step onto the Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross-the ancestral hometown of JFK. This year also celebrates the 45th anniversary of President Kennedy's historic visit to New Ross as the first U.S. President to visit Ireland in 1963. We will also visit Cobh-the single most important port for emigration--where over 2.5 million departed from (1848-1950) and where the Titanic made its last port of call. Travel along the coastal towns of Clonakilty and Skibbereen to the beautiful gardens of "Bantry Bay," watch as sheep dogs round up the sheep on the panoramic hillside of Moll's Gap and cuddle orphaned lambs at the Kissane Sheep Farm--a 5th generation traditional working farm. Hear the Irish language spoken in the Gaeltacht region of West Kerry on the Dingle Peninsula where we will drive along the breathtaking Slea Head Drive to visit the Blasket Centre and learn about its strong connection to Springfield, MA. Venture out on an optional tour to the Great Blasket Island for a rare opportunity for a guided tour with our friend Danny Sheehy, a local historian and writer. Travel through the mountains of Wicklow "the Garden of Ireland" and Kinsale the "Gourmet Capital of Ireland." Join in song and dance at Kate Kearney's Cottage in the Gap of Dunloe and feast like Lords & Ladies at a 15th century medieval castle banquet in Bunratty.

We look forward to welcoming you to join us on this tour and together planning an unforgettable journey to beautiful Ireland! For more information please contact Kathy Gallivan at (413) 536-9709 or the Irish Cultural Center at (413) 265-2537 or visit "photos" on this website of our past tours.