Welcome! Burns Library frequently hosts an array of academic, historical, and cultural events, with the aim of showcasing the library's vibrant collections, celebrating achievements by members of the Boston College community, and hosting scholars both local and international. We
hope you will consider joining us for one of our many upcoming lectures and events, about which more details may be found below, or on the BC Events Calendar. To view recordings of our previous lectures and events, visit our Youtube channel. To join our mailing list, click here.
For information regarding parking and visiting the library, see our Planning a Visit page.
Questions regarding upcoming events should be directed to Caroline Pace, Burns Library Administrative Assistant, at 617-552-3282, or caroline.pace@bc.edu.
"I entered my reading the way an echo enters a sound.” ~ Eavan Boland
One small island, one giant treasure trove of artistic talent. The island of Ireland has had four Nobel Prize laureates in Literature: William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney. It has also produced many extraordinary women poets, including Nuala Ní Domhnaill and Eavan Boland.
In collaboration with John J. Burns Library at Boston College, the Charitable Irish Society and the Eire Society of Boston, with funding from Ireland's Emigrant Support Program, are pleased to host an evening of Irish poetry readings, featuring in particular poems by Eavan Boland in tribute to her recent passing and renaming of Trinity College Dublin's main library in her honor. Please bring a poem by your own favorite Irish poet to read, or just come to listen and enjoy.
The program of readings will begin at 7:00pm, following a complimentary beer, wine, and hors d'oeuvres reception beginning at 6:00pm.
This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome. No registration required.
For directions and advice on parking and accessibility, please see: https://libguides.bc.edu/burns/visit/events
12pm
O'Neill Library Reading Room
St. Patrick's Day, the 17th March, is the single biggest national day that is celebrated globally. This talk will show how St. Patrick's day was born in the United States as a visceral demonstration of Irish American ethnic power. It will then explore how the Irish state (and associated business interests) have leveraged St. Patrick's Day globally to market the state and make Ireland one of the most readily recognized national brands.
Professor Mike Cronin is the Academic Director of Boston College in Ireland and a member of the Irish Studies faculty. He is an historian and has worked extensively on the creation and dissemination of Irishness. His publications include (with Daryl Adair) Wearing the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day (2002), (with Renee Fox and Brian O Conchubhair) The Routledge International Handbook of Irish Studies (2022) and (with Mark Duncan), Revolutionary Times: Ireland 1913-23 The Forging of a Nation (2024). He has held fellowships across the world and is currently a Visting Professor at the University of Queensland and at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture in Leicester.
For further information on BC in Ireland, visit the webpage for Boston College in Ireland.
