The DePaulia

Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: News

Media Credit: DePaul Irish Society DePaul's mascot Dibs poses with Caitlin Sullivan, vice president of DePaul Irish Society, during the St. Patrick's day parade last year.

Media Credit: Brendan Leahy Sophomore Omar Farooq buys a cookie from DePaul Irish Society President Corinne Conley on Wednesday in the Student Center Atrium.

Media Credit: DePaul Irish Society DePaul Irish Society advertises their group on campus.

Now on the verge of St. Patrick's Day, the DePaul community is full of people eager to celebrate their Irish heritage, or at least fake a Celtic connection for the day and join in the festivities.

For the DePaul Irish Society, though, being Irish is just too good to confine to a single day. Instead, they work throughout the year to bring the wonders of Ireland to the DePaul campus.

According to club members, the DePaul Irish Society is a group committed to promoting Irish and Irish-American culture on the DePaul campus. More than a microcosm of the Chicago Irish-American community, they serve as a resource for the entire campus population to explore Irish culture and history.

Working with local musicians, performers, and authors, as well as Chicago's Irish-American Heritage Center, they actively promote their cultural heritage while involving the DePaul campus with Chicago's thriving Irish community.

They meet twice a month and usually incorporate a theme to encourage some aspect of the culture or history and is often accompanied by some form of activity.

Along with their bi-monthly meetings, the society hosts and attends a variety of events throughout Chicago. This quarter they have a full calendar of Irish and Irish-themed events lined up. First is a co-sponsored event with the Cultural Center on Wednesday, March 10, to bring the Irish theater group, Seanachai, to the Loop Campus.

Later in the quarter, they will be in attendance at the Chicago Celtic Festival, an Irish music session, a talk from faculty member Euan Hague and at Gaelic Park to watch sports.

Past Irish Society events have included introductions to Irish food, music, dance and film, as well as attending sporting events, museums, festivals and lectures.

"Some of the best moments are interacting with the community outside DePaul," said Corinne Conley, society president and DePaul senior. "At the heritage center many of us were blessed with the opportunity to social dance with some sparky old men! We also have been able to have dancers, musicians and authors come to DePaul, and that has been really cool."

Naturally, they also made copious plans for St. Patrick's Day and encourage all to join in with them. Among their many events, the Society will be marching in the downtown parade on March 13 as a representation of DePaul's Irish community, as well as attending the Gaelic Storm and Flogging Molly concerts. On St. Patty's Day, March 17, they will be in the performance area on the second floor of the Student Center.

The society also encourages active participation in the Irish community on an individual level. The Irish Studies minor, the Irish-American Heritage Center and the University study abroad programs in Ireland are all things in which society members actively engage.

"This summer, many members volunteered at Irish Fest at the Heritage Center," Conley said. "And we usually work closely with Irish Studies because our interests overlap, and many of our members are Irish Studies minors."

The DePaul Irish Society meets the first and third Thursdays of the month in Student Center Room 315. They welcome all students to both their meetings and events.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools