Sile de Valera, td, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, today officially opened the international conference on the study of Irish literatures, "IASIL 2001 - 'Odysseys'", hosted by DCU.

This prestigious conference is held every three years in Ireland, and has come to DCU for the first time this year. It has drawn not just an international audience but a range of keynote speakers such as Seamus Deane, Luke Gibbons, Mairin Nic Eoin and Robert Tracy.

Given the tremendous worldwide interest in Irish studies, this conference gives speakers and delegates the opportunity to share and discuss their research interests in fiction, poetry, drama, film studies and music. According to conference organiser Dr Barbara Freitag, lecturer in the school of applied language and intercultural studies, "a conference of this kind provides an ideal opportunity for delegates to come together to enjoy not just the academic side of things, but also the full Irish cultural experience".

Contemporary authors on the programme include Spike Milligan, Seamus Heany, Frank McCourt and Brian Friel, although no programme on Irish studies would be complete without presentations on Swift, Joyce, O'Casey and O'Connor. There is even a workshop on the early literary voyages, including St Brendan's voyage.

Topics for discussion range across tinkers and travellers, nomadism, the image of Northern Ireland, exile and emigration, diaspora and homecoming, colonisation, and censorship. With lecture and workshop titles such as "Freudyssey na Gaeilge". "The Immram from Mael Duin to Muldoon", and "Kenny Dodd goes mad", the greatest difficulty facing delegates is that of choice.

Ends.

For further details:

Eilis O'Brien:700 5217 or 087 2057125
Eileen Colgan:700 5656