The Canadian Association for Irish Studies / L’Association canadienne d’études irlandaises is calling for papers to be presented at its annual conference, to be held this year on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We welcome submissions for papers in English, French, or Irish. Graduate students working on any manner of Irish Studies are also very welcome.
We have confirmed three keynote speakers: Senator Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Féin, the youngest Senator in the history of the independent State), Sunniva O’Flynn (Curator, Irish Film Archive, who will also present an evening of Irish films) and David Wilson (Professor of Celtic Studies at University of Toronto and editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography).
Our theme is deliberately broad in the hope that “Janus-Faced Ireland?” will invoke Ireland’s long history as being defined by duality, (sometimes creative) conflict, and complexity. We are especially interested in papers that deal with the Canadian contexts of the Irish experience, but we would be very happy to receive considerations of Ireland’s experience in other global and local contexts. Some topics might include:

• Ireland in comparison to other North American societies (Mexico, the United States)
• Ireland and the European Union
• Ireland and Asia: from the Asian Tigers to the Celtic Tiger and beyond
• Ireland and the Atlantic: Caribbean comparisons, connections to South America, connections between Northern Ireland and the Western Sahara, etc.
• The future of Irish historical writing: new problems in historiography, new kinds of revision
• New ways of thinking about the future of the Irish language
• Irish philosophical work
• The literary frontiers of Irish writing

These are meant as suggestions. What we really hope for is a wide variety of papers and a conference that will illustrate the diversity – both in terms of subject matter and methodology – that has so long characterised Irish Studies worldwide.
Deadline for submissions has been extended to 31 January 2015. We will make all decisions on acceptance by 15 February, although we are starting to evaluate now. In any event, people should have time to apply for internal travel funding (if you need an earlier confirmation do not hesitate to let us know and we will do our best to accommodate). Please submit a ~300 word abstract and ~50 word bio (in English, French, or Irish) via email to: Jerry.White@Dal.Ca.