Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum to hold information session for volunteers

Grace Brady, left, executive director of Ireland’s
Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University

 HAMDEN - Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University will hold an information session at 3 p.m. Feb. 7 for individuals who are interested in becoming volunteer docents, according to a release.



Photo by Helen Bennett

"The docents will provide tours of the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions to groups of adults and children, from around Connecticut and the world," the release said.

“The ideal docent candidates are interested in art, Irish history, communicating with people and giving back to the community,” said Claire Puzarne, assistant director of the museum, in the release. “Our docents will be expected to facilitate personal interaction, education and enrichment between museum visitors and the artwork, so we’re looking for volunteers who are passionate, eager to learn, enjoy working with people, flexible, articulate and comfortable speaking in public, dependable, honest, punctual and professional.”

Also: Docents must be at least 18 years old, and will be required to attend weekly training sessions for eight weeks, beginning in March 2017. Once trained, they are expected to provide a minimum of two tours monthly, requiring approximately a four-hour commitment per month.

Applications will be accepted until  March 1 and may be obtained at the information session and online at www.ighm.org..

"Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac is home to the world's largest collection of visual art, artifacts and printed materials relating to the Irish Famine," the release noted.

Photo by Helen Bennett

 "The museum preserves, builds and presents its art collection to stimulate reflection, inspire imagination and advance awareness of Ireland's Great Hunger and its long aftermath on both sides of the Atlantic."

"The collection focuses on the famine years from 1845-52, when blight destroyed virtually all of Ireland's potato crops for consecutive years. The crop destruction, coupled with British governmental indifference to the plight of the Irish, who at the time were part of the United Kingdom, resulted in the deaths of more than one million Irish men, women and children and the emigration of more than two million to nations around the world. This tragedy occurred even though exports of food and livestock from Ireland continued and, in some cases, actually increased during the years of the Great Hunger.

Works by noted contemporary Irish artists are featured at the museum including internationally known sculptors John Behan, Rowan Gillespie and Éamonn O'Doherty; as well as contemporary visual artists, Robert Ballagh, Alanna O'Kelly, Brian Maguire and Hughie O'Donoghue. Featured paintings include several important 19th and 20th‐century works by artists such as James Brenan, Daniel MacDonald, James Arthur O'Connor and Jack B. Yeats."




Editor's note: All information and the top photo in this post were contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Quinnipiac University’s 'Grey Nuns and the Great Hunger Exhibition'



Photo by Johnathon Henninger.

HAMDEN – An exhibit created by Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University will be a part of the National Famine commemoration in Dublin on Sept. 11, according to a release.

 

 

 "'Saving the Famine Irish: The Grey Nuns and the Great Hunger,' which tells the story of the religious orders in Montreal whose members gave selflessly to Irish immigrants during the summer of 1847, will be part of the ninth annual commemoration, which will take place at Glasnevin Cemetery," the release said.

Ireland President Michael D. Higgins, and Heather Humphreys T.D., minister for arts and heritage, are expected to attend, the release noted. 

 

The exhibition will remain on display there until early December, the release said.

 

Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac and a professor of history, "collaborated with Jason King, Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellow at Moore Institute at Galway University, to create the exhibition, which has been displayed at Quinnipiac and in Montreal," the release said.

 

“I am delighted that people in Ireland will have an opportunity to learn about the Grey Nuns of Montreal, who showed such charity and compassion to the 70,000 Irish poor who arrived in the city in Black '47,” Kinealy said, also in the release. “It is a story of humanity that remains inspirational today.”

 

"Many thousands of people fled from Ireland during the Great Hunger, a period of mass starvation and disease between 1845 and 1852, and immigrated to Canada. Famine immigrants to Montreal were not only among the poorest of the poor, but many of them arrived already sick with typhus fever. Despite this, a number of people in the English and French Canadian communities provided the ailing and the dying with shelter and support. In the forefront of this compassionate movement were the Sisters of Charity, also known as the Grey Nuns."  

 

"The story of the Grey Nuns, and of the other religious orders who helped the dying Irish immigrants, is one of kindness, compassion and true charity," Kinealy said in the release. "Nonetheless, almost 6,000 Irish immigrants perished in the fever sheds of Montreal. They had fled from famine in Ireland only to die of fever in Canada. This is a remarkable story that deserves to be better known."

 

Further, "Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University

Ireland's Great Hunger Institute strives to offer a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of the Irish Famine, also known as An Gorta Mór, through a program of lectures, conferences, courses and publications. The institute also fosters an appreciation for Irish culture and history."

 

For more information about Quinnipiac University, visit www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quinnipiacunews and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.

 

Photo caption: Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University, puts the finishing touches on the exhibit, "Saving the Famine Irish: The Grey Nuns and the Great Hunger," which will be apart of the National Famine Commemoration in Dublin on Sept. 11.

 

Editor's note: All information and the photo in this post were contributed. Click one of the buttons below to share it.

Hamden woman completes occupational therapy project at Housatonic Community College

Shown in this photo: Housatonic Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant student Rachel Horn of Hamden, at left, chats with HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki of Monroe during a recent Occupational Therapy Assistant fair at the college. 
Horn’s project helps young children with fine-motor control, according to a release.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.

 

Renovate a Hamden home with Habitat for Humanity

HAMDEN — Habitat for Humanity-SGB needs volunteers interested in renovating a 100-year-old home from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Saturday, July 28 at 390 Gilbert Ave.
The house was built in 1892.
To volunteer, register via the signup form at www.sleepinggiantbuild.org/SignUp.htm or call Mike Healy at 203-233-0141.
Please do not just show up on the day of the build or you will be turned away. 
Anyone who is interested in coming out to build must be registered in advance, as the number of volunteers allowed onsite is limited. No particular skills or experience are required and Habitat will provide all the tools.
Additional information can be found at www.SleepingGiantBuild.org.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.

Paier College of Art in Hamden opens summer art show

The Paier College of Art in Hamden will exhibit their 2012 Summer Art Show from July 9 through Aug. 16.

All disciplines that are taught at the college are represented, including graphic design, photography, interior design, fine art and illustration. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. 

Paier College is located at 20 Gorham Ave. For more information, call 203-287-3031.

The Paier College of Art is a small, fully accredited art college offering art students a unique learning experience driven by seasoned, working professionals. Paier offers certificate, diploma and bachelor of fine arts degree programs.

Shown: Floral Watercolor by Alison Beichner

(From a press release by Paier College of Art)

'The Legal Challenges of Immigration' topic of event at Quinnipiac University School of Law

HAMDEN — The Quinnipiac University School of Law will hold a free conference on immigration, “Coming to America and Staying? The Legal Challenges of Immigration,” 2-5 p.m. Feb. 18 in the Grand Courtroom in the School of Law Center.
The conference is organized by the International Human Rights Law Society, a student organization at the School of Law. Speakers will explore legal issues surrounding immigration and the challenges immigrants face living in the United States.
Speakers include: Muneer Ahmad of Yale University; Alina Das of New York University; Sheila Hayre from New Haven Legal Assistance; Kica Matos from Atlantic Philanthropies; and Jeffrey Meyer of Quinnipiac University School of Law.
“Everyone is affected by immigration laws and related issues, and we should definitely encourage more discourse on immigration because it’s interesting, ever-changing, and absolutely relevant to our lives,” said Prerna Rao, a second-year law student at Quinnipiac and an organizer of the event.
More information about the conference is available at http://www.sites.google.com/site/ihrqusl/immigration . For more information, call 203-582-8652.

Hamden mayor to hold community forum

HAMDEN — Mayor Scott D. Jackson will hold a community forum on the town’s goals for 2011 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at Thornton Wilder Hall of Miller Library, 2901 Dixwell Ave.


Residents, civic associations and business owners may attend.

The purpose of the forum is to discuss priorities, ideas and concerns for the year. Jackson will report on accomplishments from 2010 and ongoing projects.

Following his remarks, the mayor will open the forum to the public for questions and discussion. Civic association leaders can poll their memberships to prepare questions that will be included in the discussion along with questions from all attendees.

“With budget season upon us, it is of the utmost importance to hear from the residents who utilize the services the town provides. I look forward to an evening of idea-sharing and discourse on how we can best meet the needs of our citizens,” Jackson said.

For further information on this event, call the mayor’s office at 203-287-7100.
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U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty to perform in Hamden

HAMDEN — The U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty will present a concert just before the fireworks display July 2 at the Town Center Park at Meadowbrook.
If the fireworks display is postponed, the concert will be moved to the Hamden High School.
Rain date for fireworks is July 3, when other entertainment will be provided.
Pyro/Fx Entertainment Group Inc. will put on the fireworks display.
Donations can be made payable to HVFF and mailed to P.O. Box 5104 Hamden, 06518. For more information, contact Karl Olson at 203-281-5419 or kjolson@snet.net.
The event is presented by the Hamden Volunteer Firefighters Fireworks Committee in conjunction with the Hamden Arts Commission.

Army Capt. Benjamin Sklaver to be added to wall of honor

HARTFORD — A Hamden man is one of the five state soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last year who will be added Thursday to the Wall of Honor in the State Capitol complex.
The public is invited to the ceremony, which will be attended by family members of the five new honorees and many of the 44 soldiers alraedy on the wall. The ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Ave.
The wall includes a framed color portrait of each service member, and a podium displaying a brass plate bearing their name, hometown, branch of service and the year and location of their death.
The five new honorees are:
Army Capt. Benjamin Sklaver, 32, of Hamden: 2009, Afghanistan; Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Spino, 45, of Waterbury: 2009, Afghanistan; Army Sgt. Edward Kramer, 39, of Southington: 2009, Iraq; Marine Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre, 21, of Waterbury: 2009, Afghanistan; and Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler Griffin, 19, of Voluntown: 2010, Afghanistan.
The ceremony will include the reading of the names of all Wall of Honor service members by the American Legion Post 79 Military Funeral Honors Squad of Madison.
The event co-chairman will be Comptroller Nancy Wyman and radio host Brad Davis.

For more information, call Steve Jensen in the Office of the State Comptroller at 860-702-3308 or 860-539-9298.

Editor's note: the photo shows Hamden Middle School students and a sign they made and held as Sklaver's funeral procession passed by the school last year. Photo courtesy of Guy Ortoleva