NEWSLETTER JUNE 2001

12 June 2001

Dear members of NISN,

It has been a while since you last received a newsletter from us. In the meantime, however, we have sent you a call for papers for the EFACIS conference 6 - 9 December, which is hosted by NISN and the new Centre for Irish Studies in Aarhus. Some of you have responded to the call and e-mailed your proposals for papers, for which we thank you. Looking down the membership list, we can see many others who might have considered contributing with a paper. Please come forward; there is room for a few more papers! At the moment we have about 60 papers, and the list of contributors is impressive, so we may already now promise to offer a good, international conference (EFACIS stands for the European Association of Associations and Centres for Irish Studies).

However, many of you may only be interested in participating as listeners. Also this sort of participation is highly appreciated and welcomed, of course. Still, we need to hear from you - and you need to register - so that we, as organisers, may know how many to cater for and accommodate.

So please send an e-mail to me -Michael Böss, engmb@hum.au.dk - and visit the conference website, where you may inform yourselves about the programme and practicalities, and where you may register. It is to be found at

www.hum.au.dk/engelsk/nisn/efacis2001

NISN has become a rather big international Irish Studies "association" - with members on three continents at the moment! In fact we are recruiting new members almost on a weekly basis. So we are expecting a large turn-out, much different from the recent Irish referendum on the Nice Treaty!

Those of you who are members of DATE (The Danish Association for Teachers of English) may get your costs covered from your own sources since the conference will be recognised as part of the regular in-job training programme. Please look for the announcement in the forthcoming AngloFiles.

Our webmaster, Jacob Urup Nielsen, tells me that our collection of reviews and articles at the NISN website is growing more and more popular ("visitors" to individual articles are counted). Last January we launched another batch of reviews and articles - mainly in Danish, I'm sorry to say. The reviews may be found at www.hum.au.dk/engelsk/nisn/books.htm . We would be happy to present more reviews, interviews and articles written by you, in either English or your own language. If your are interested in doing book reviews or contributing with other written material, please contact us, and we will attempt to acquire review copies from the publishers. Contributions may be submitted to engmb@hum.au.dk or jacob.nielsen@ireland.com .

A mailing list is an ideal way of sharing ideas, discussing recent publications etc. The geographical dispersal of NISN members makes it impossible to meet regularly. Hence, a mailing list, focusing on different aspects of Irish Studies, could make up for the distance. Our webmaster suggests that we start out with one mailing list. Later it may multiply according to subject and interest. He has created one at Listbot. Interested members can subscribe to it by sending a blank e-mail message to:

     NISN-subscribe@listbot.com

Or visit the lists homepage at

     http://NISN.listbot.com/

If you have any technical problems, please send an e-mail to jacob.nielsen@ireland.com

NISN members convened in Gothenburg on St Patrick's Day for a very fine symposium organised by Britta Olinder. The highlight of the event was the afternoon's readings and talks with novelists Edna O'Brien and John Banville and poet Michael Longley.

Remember that 15-17 May 2002 NISN will organise its next biennial conference in Bergen. Our local host, Ruben Moi, has invited the poets Michael Longley and Paul Muldoon. The rest of programme will be filled out by ourselves. Please put a mark in your calenders/diaries. May in Bergen and vicinity will be absolutely wonderful - even if it rains - and you will get the opportunity to experience how the Norwegians celebrate their national day (17 May)!

I wish you all a restful and happy summer holiday!

Kind regards, Michael Böss