Past Talks
Since its foundation in 1955 the Society’s principal activity has been the presentation of talks by members or invited guests on topics relating to Ireland and Irish heritage in Australia. In that time several hundred talks have been given. From 1974 many of those talks were audio recorded and we hold copies of those recordings from 1974 to 2008 and from 2014 to 2017, numbering in all 198 talks of variable quality. Since 2020, when during Covid we began to livestream our meetings via Zoom, the talks given to the Society have been video recorded, accumulating at the rate of about seven per year. In addition, we hold copies of manuscripts of some 56 talks, some dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. Access to these recordings is available to members and to researchers upon application to the Honorary Secretary. A list of recorded talks held by the Society is available here.
Summaries of talks and events back to 2011 can be viewed below.
2012 TALKS
February
After the Annual General Meeting Mike Bailey gave us a talk “Weathering Life”, in which he reminiscenced of his life in the media.
March
At our annual St Patrick’s Day dinner the guest speaker was NSW Attorney General Greg Smith SC who spoke and sang of his association with Ireland.
April
Rosamund Burton’s talk “Walking St Declan’s Way” was a delightful exposition of the pilgrimage route from Ardmore in County Waterford to Cashel in County Tipperary.
May
Dr Liam Weeks in a talk entitled“De minimis non curat praetor: voting system design in Ireland and Australia” gave a comparative analysis of the voting systems of Australia and Ireland.
June
Dr Des O’Malley in “The Secret Language of James Joyce” gave an interesting perspective on the writings of Ireland’s leading novelist.
July
Mid-year luncheon: Dr Val Noone delivered the 18th Annual Joan Ward Memorial Address on “Hidden Ireland in Australia” which looked at the way Irish language and culture has influenced Australia.
August
Professor Barra Boydell in a talk entitled “Handel in Dublin 1741-1742” gave a fascinating insight into the background to the premiere performance of Handel’s Messiah in Dublin.
September
Steve Carey in “The GAA: A National Heritage” explained the history of the GAA in Ireland
October
In “Irish Harps in Time – Mythic, Cultural, Historic” Claire Dunne explained with words and music the significance of the harp in Ireland.
