January, 2009

Dear ILHS Members:

First, as we begin the New Year, I am happy to announce that the Irish Literary & Historical Society of the San Francisco Bay Area is officially a tax-exempt, charitable organization.   We received final approval of our application, retroactive to our date of incorporation, April 25, 2007, from both the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board, based upon our educational and public charitable purposes. Thanks to all those who volunteered many hours to make this happen.  The Executive Council of the ILHS will host an informational meeting on our new status for the general membership before our regularly scheduled January program. The meeting will be held at UCSF Conference Center, Chancellor’s Room, on January 30, 2009 at 6:45 p.m.  All are welcome.

Second, thanks to all of you who have attended the meetings and supported the ILHS programs throughout the past year.  Our monthly meetings have been occasions for intellectual interchange and social camaraderie.  Our speakers consistently comment on the warmth of their reception and the knowledge of our audience. A list of our 2008 programs follows, and we are currently working to finalize the programs for 2009.  Our St. Patrick’s Banquet, thanks to Eileen Kivlehan, is a most elegant celebration of the spirit of the Gael.  Please join us this year on Sunday evening, March 15th.

I also want to thank all of you who have most generously given your time and talents during the year: the members of the Executive Council, my fellow ILHS officers, and so many others.  Without you, our programs and events could not happen.  Thanks to Leslie Murdock, the ILHS webpage continues to provide up-to-date information for members and the general public.   Please visit www.ILHSsf.org to keep in touch with events and announcements.

Finally, below is your 2009 ILHS membership renewal form.   We ask that you please fill out the form with your updated information and return it with your annual dues/donations by March 1st.  Your support is both appreciated and needed in order for us to continue our programs. Donations are tax-deductible

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions, and we look forward to seeing you at the 2009 ILHS gatherings.

With best wishes for the New Year,

Kathleen Cogan Kovach, President

2008 ILHS Programs

Over the past year, The Irish Literary & Historical Society has hosted the following speakers at monthly meetings (January through June; September & November):

• January, Catherine Duggan, Esq.,  Ancient Irish Law: An Enlightened Approach To Dispute Resolution;

• February, SPECIAL EVENT: Anne Enright, Irish Novelist and 2007 Winner of the Mann-Booker Prize, Reading from her work and in conversation with Colm Toibin, Winner of the 2006 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; (co-sponsored with the Irish Arts Foundation and the Consul General of Ireland)

• February, Daniel Cassidy, The Inside Story on How the Irish Invented Slang;

• March, The Honorable William A. Newsom, Guest Speaker, St. Patrick’s Banquet, San Francisco;

• April, Dr. Mark Maguire,  Department of Anthropology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and Visiting Professor, Stanford University, The New Irish: Migration and Social Change;

• May, Gemma Whelan, Reading/Performance of her original screenplay, Mac, based on the life of Anew McMaster, legendary actor-manager of the Irish theatre;

• September, Valerie Hemingway, editor, journalist, and author of Running with the Bulls: My Life with the Hemingways, From Baile Atha Cliath to Bozeman: An Irish Woman’s Odyssey;

• November, Rose Murphy, Ella Young, Irish Mystic and Rebel: From Literary Dublin to the American West. 

Membership Renewal 

January Meeting Notice

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