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This page provides a listing of events or notices that may be of interest to visitors to this site.

NATIONS, DIASPORAS, IDENTITIES CONFERENCE

Between 27-30 March 2008, a major conference on Irish and Scottish Studies will be held at Victoria University of Wellington. For more information see the website.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

A number of books have appeared since 2005 that will be of interest to visitors to this website. They are:

Lyndon Fraser, Castles of Gold: A History of New Zealand's West Coast Irish (2007).

Angela McCarthy, Personal Narratives of Irish and Scottish Migration, 1921-65: 'For Spirit and Adventure' (2007).

Brad Patterson (ed.), Ulster-New Zealand Migration and Cultural Transfers (2005).

NEW PUBLICATION

A new book on the Irish in New Zealand has been published. It is based on numerous personal letters exchanged between New Zealand and Ireland. Further details can be found at:

http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/43831430.HTM

CELTIC CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE

Between 24 and 26 October 2002 a major conference examining Irish and Scottish Studies in Australasia will be held at the Hunter Council Chamber, Victoria University of Wellington. The conference will showcase current New Zealand research as well as provide a vehicle for strengthening links with Australian-based researchers. It will also provide an opportunity to forge new links with contributors from even further afield. Topics to be discussed include migration patterns, religious history, community studies and gender experiences. A provisional programme is available at www.vuw.ac.nz/stout-centre/conferences.html.

IRISH ON THE WEST COAST

Dr Lyndon Fraser, lecturer in Sociology at the Department of Canterbury, is currently engaged in researching the Irish on the West Coast. He writes:

I am seeking help in researching a new book on the West Coast Irish. The proposed volume is tentatively entitled Caisleain Oir (Castles of Gold) and aimed at an expanding audience for literature on the Irish at home and abroad. It will be attractively presented, beautifully illustrated and 'scholarly but approachable' in tone. My intention is to give all royalties from the publication to the New Zealand Child Cancer Foundation Inc.

During the past few months I have been contacting various people to see whether they would be interested in sharing stories with me about their West Coast Irish ancestors. I am particularly interested in topics such as family histories, work experiences, religious practice, schooling, marriage and politics. I would also like to learn more about how Irish migrants shaped local social life on the Coast and whether or not their descendents maintained distinctive ways of doing things. It intrigues me that several people have described the region as the most Irish part of New Zealand!

I can be contacted at this address: Dr Lyndon Fraser, Department of Sociology, University of Canterbury, PB 4800, CHRISTCHURCH email: <l.fraser@soci.canterbury.ac.nz>

MAJOR NEW PUBLICATION

A DISTANT SHORE:

IRISH MIGRATION AND NEW ZEALAND SETTLEMENT

Many New Zealanders have Irish forebears but know little of the circumstances that brought them to New Zealand. These essays focus on Irish migration in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They consider the origins of the migrants - who they were, where they came from, and how many - and what they did once they arrived.

This is one of the few books on the Irish in New Zealand, and it uses many sources, including letters from migrants to their families in Ireland. It also looks at the history of Irish organisations in New Zealand, both Catholic and Protestant. Historical photographs are included. The contributors are all significant writers or historians and include Don Akenson (Canada), Patrick O'Farrell (Australia), and Rory Sweetman (New Zealand) who have all produced major works on the Irish diaspora.

CONTENTS:

No Petty People: Pakeha History and the Historiography of the Irish Diaspora Don Akenson
Varieties of Irishness: A Meditation Patrick O'Farrell
The Invisible Irish? Rediscovering the Irish Protestant Tradition Alasdair Galbraith
'In Prospect of a Happier Future': Private Letters and Irish Women's Migration to New Zealand, 1840-1925 Angela McCarthy
Irish Migration to New Zealand to 1915 Terry Hearn
The Irish on the Otago Goldfields Terry Hearn
Irish Migration to the West Coast Lyndon Fraser
'Shaming the Shoneens': The Green Ray and the Maoriland Irish Society in Dunedin Séan Brosnahan
The Importance of Being Irish: Hibernianism in New Zealand Rory Sweetman

A Distant Shore: Irish Migration and New Zealand Settlement

edited by Lyndon Fraser

paperback, 196 pages, ISBN 1 877133 97 3

$39.95

Read reviews of A Distant Shore here.

IMPORTANT: YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED!

A group of volunteers plan to restore the settler homestead of "Athenree", the home of Captain Hugh and Adela Stewart who were part of the only organised settlement of migrants to New Zealand from Ireland, when 4,000 from Ulster made the journey in the 1870s. The house was built in Katikati, Bay of Plenty, and of particular note is the garden created by Adela, which will also be restored to its former glory. It is hoped that the homestead will become a valuable resource centre for schools, local residents, and visitors.

However, to obtain funding the group urgently need letters of support highlighting the importance of the project locally, nationally, and internationally. For further information please contact John Marshall, 43, Kea Street, Katikati 3063, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand or e-mail jtcd@xtra.co.nz. Alternatively, further information can be found here or here.

Please contact me if you have any suggestions, additions or corrections.

Last modified: 15 February 2008

This site is maintained by
Angela McCarthy