The Look of The Irish – MARCH 2024
A Celebration of Diversity in Irish Arts & Culture / Special Author Event with Colum McCann
Irish Culture Bay Area partnered with the Presidio Theatre for the 2024 Irish Arts & Writers Festival “The Look of The Irish: A Celebration of Diversity in Irish Arts & Culture.” March 22—24, 2024. Paying tribute to the vibrant work and experiences of Black and mixed-race artists and performers from Ireland and the Bay Area, the events showcased the work – music, dance, poetry, film, art – of a group of diverse artists, including Dubliner Leon Diop, co-author of the book “Black & Irish: Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes” ; performance artist, Maïa Nunes; poet Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi; Head of Black Studies Program, Trinity College Dublin, Dr. Phil Mullen; Bay Area Chinese Irish dancer, Megan Lowe, author Emer Martin, historians Dr. Miriam Nyhan Grey and Dr. Maria McGarrity (exploring the relationship of Irish and Caribbean literature and how Irish diasporic communities negotiate identity and belonging.)
Rounding off the weekend, award-winning author Colum McCann discussed his books “American Mother,” a gripping story of Diane Foley, whose son, James Foley, was captured and killed by ISIS while serving as a freelance combat reporter in Syria, and “Apeirogon,” the story of two fathers—one Israeli, and one Palestinian—whose daughters died in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Irish Artists & Writers Festivals Los Gatos, CA – 2016, 2017, 2018
