Glucksman Ireland House at New York University, located at One Washington Mews (at Fifth Avenue), will host several special events in September, including a reading by novelist, journalist, and Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU Pete Hamill on September 20. All events take place at Ireland House, unless otherwise noted. Admission is free to members of Ireland House and those with an NYU ID; for all others, $10 admission to regular events and $15 for Blarney Star Concert Series events. To reserve a seat, call 212.998.3950 or email ireland.house@nyu.edu.
A schedule of events follows:
Thurs., Sept. 6, 7 p.m. Screening: Saint of 9/11, The Life of Fr. Mychal Judge, Chaplain, FDNY. Compassionate champion of the needy and forgotten and a beloved Fire Department Chaplain, Father Judge was a priest who struggled with his own imperfections while touching others in powerful ways. Introduction and discussion with director Glenn Holsten and co-producer Brendan Fay. Note venue: NYU Cantor Film Center, 36 E. 8th St.
Thurs., Sept. 13, 7 p.m. Lecture: President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Chris Finan speaks on the rise of the three great Irish American civil libertarians on the Supreme Court: Frank Murphy, William J. Brennan, and Anthony Kennedy, based on his book From the Palmer Riots to the Patriot Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America. Introduced by Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU and professor of law, New York Law School.
Fri., Sept. 14, 9 p.m. Blarney Star Concert Series: Brendan Begley and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh. West Kerry native Begley is one of Ireland’s most renowned button accordionists, melodeon players, and singers. For this concert, he has joined forces with one of the most impressive young fiddlers in Ireland, Raghallaigh, who drew raves for his debut solo CD, “Turas go Tir na nÓg.”
Thurs., Sept. 20, 7 p.m. Reading: Novelist, journalist, and NYU Distinguished Writer in Residence Pete Hamill reads from his new novel, North River, a love story set against the backdrop of the Great Depression in New York.
Thurs., Sept. 27, 7 p.m. Reading: Award-winning author Peter Behrens reads from his novel, The Law of Dreams, the story of a young man’s Homeric passage from innocence to experience during the Irish Famine. The book won the 2006 Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction in Canada.
Fri., Sept. 28, 9 p.m. Blarney Star Concert Series: bohola. Weaving up-tempo dance tunes, slow airs, and vocals into sonic tapestries, bohola is a Chicago-based duo named for a musical town in Co. Mayo. The sound combines the piano accordion of many-time All-Ireland champion Jimmy Keane with the hearty vocals and bouzouki backing of Dubliner Pat Broaders.