Here’s Chair Mike Walsh’s report about he last Irish Heritage meet-up. As Mike so rightly states, ‘The News Report is about far more than the presentation’. You can watch videos of the presentation in this previous DiG post, but for thoughtful overview and analysis, read on…
Irish Masculinity under Attack
Speaker Dr Deirdre O'Byrne being introduced to audience by Mike Walsh.
If Irish masculinity is under attack “Bring it on” thus spoke the eminent Professor Patricia Coughlin at a conference at University Collage Cork, before she swept out of the room. This so shocked Deirdre O’Byrne who was present at the conference, that she related to the crowd when she spoke at the February Event of the Birmingham Irish Heritage Group.
The Heritage Group stages a different Event on the first Wednesday of every Month, commencing at 7pm upstairs at the Irish Centre in Digbeth Birmingham. There is no charge and the general public are welcome to attend with free refreshments to end the evening. On this occasion Deirdre O’Byrne from Loughbourgh gave an interesting talk on the challenging subject of the portrayal of Fatherhood in Irish Fiction.
Nicky Getgood (first in line) filming the February presentation at Heritage Event.
Incidentally you can listen and watch her entire presentation in a video, which is available on Nicky Getgood’s interesting Digbeth Blog.
Click the triangle shown on the picture and the video will start. Before Deirdre starts her presentation, you will be able to hear a number of announcements of extra facilities to be provided by the Heritage Group. Chief amongst these is the immediate start of discussion groups, on the 3rd Wednesday of every Month, commencing at 7pm upstairs at the Irish Centre in Digbeth. These will be small intimate groups of 5 or 6 people, who will engage in conversation on a wide range of Irish interest topics. This activity will be in addition, to the normal first Wednesday of every month Heritage Event.
There was also an announcement of the soon to be started Special Irish Interest lending library, to be operated by the Heritage Group at the Irish Centre. There will be over 200 Irish interest books available to borrow, which compares very favourably with the Birmingham Central Library, which most times has only about 50 such books available to borrow.
Section of audience listening intently to talk about attack on Irish Masculinity.
The general thrust of the speaker Deirdre O’Byrne was to lament the concentration of Irish fiction writers, on portraying Irish Fathers as inadequate, drunken and sometimes violent men unable to show regard for their children. On the contrary, Deirdre explained that she had several brothers who were first rate “hands on fathers”, and that her father had an excellent close relationship with her.
There was she contended also a gap in non-fiction, when it came to a study of Irish fatherhood. Deirdre also drew attention to the Irish Constitution which defined a mother as working in the home, but without any reference to the father. A whole range of Irish fiction writers were covered in her talk amongst whom were Clare Keagan, Colin Tobin, John Banville and Patrick McCabe.
Response to her presentation from the audience was intense, with many giving examples of good fathers. One member voiced the thoughtful contribution that his father would have little time to interact with his children, because he would be too tired after a hard day in an unpleasant job. Another member drew attention to an occasion when he was walking through the Press Shop in a car factory, where men were handling entire car roofs, very hot heavy noisy work. In that situation the member was given to a philosophical thought as to the essence of their efforts. He came to the often overlooked conclusion, that unlikely as it appeared, they were in effect caring for their children.
Michael Walsh
