About the author
Daniel Mulhall was born in Waterford. He spent more than 40 years in Ireland’s diplomatic service, and is a former ambassador of Ireland to the United States (2017-2022). He has written and lectured around the world on the subject of Irish literature, and in particular the work of James Joyce, and has worked tirelessly throughout his career to further the impact and reach of Irish writing around the world. Daniel was the Global Distinguished Professor of Irish Studies at Glucksman Ireland House (NYU) - fall 2022 and the current Parnell Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, U.K.
In collaboration with Glucksman Ireland House (NYU), Daniel gave a lecture at the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. We are delighted to bring you the recording of his one-hour lecture (below), interspersed with readings of works by Joyce and Yeats by the Monaco-Ireland Arts Society. Listen also to the 20-minute podcast.
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Our thanks to Dusty Rhodes for gifting us this 20-minute podcast with Daniel Mulhall (below)
Photo of the author © Marty Katz martykatz.com
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A literary odyssey kicks off a collaboration between
Glucksman Ireland House (NYU) and the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco
Sharing the same vision to foster excellence in the study of Ireland and Irish America, The Princess Grace Irish Library (PGIL) and Glucksman Ireland House at New York University (GIH) are delighted to announce a new collaborative venture.
The initiative starts off as the library in Monaco hosts its 2023 cultural programme with the theme “Irish-American influence on literature, music and culture,” and the two institutions plan to host an annual lecture alternating between the two locations. Going forward, they plan to create synergies between their respective programmes.
The inaugural event is a celebration of Princess Grace’s Irish-American roots, her adopted home in the Principality of Monaco, and her love of literature will be a lecture by Daniel Mulhall, recent Global Distinguished Professor of Irish Studies at Glucksman Ireland House (NYU).
Daniel Mulhall - author of
Ulysses - A Reader's Odyssey
- published by New Island Books
Published in 2022 on the occasion of the centenary of Ireland’s (and possibly the world’s) most famous novel, this introductory guide will offer new and returning readers a handrail into the complex text. Drawing on his extensive experience of lecturing on Joyce to international audiences, Daniel Mulhall is ideally placed to guide the novice into and through the novel. He provides historical, stylistic, and biographic detail while always calling up the Homerian counterfoil as well. Mulhall untangles Ulysses from its infamous reputation of impenetrability, and shows us the joy it can offer. This book is a studious and loving exploration and guide through Joyce’s greatest work. To buy the book online click HERE
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Reviewing Mulhall’s book in an article published in 'Irish Central', Ted Smyth, a former diplomat and business leader and current President of the Advisory Board of Glucksman Ireland House, the center for Irish and Irish-American Studies at New York University writes:
“Mulhall’s deployment of Joyce and Yeats around the world is a masterly example of exercising ‘soft power’ on behalf of Ireland.
Ireland might not have a large security force, but it does have an army of fabulous writers, poets, musicians, and artists who, with our talented diplomats, enable Ireland to punch above its weight in the international arena.
Mulhall cleverly decodes all 18 episodes of James Joyce's famous book while also providing personal and funny insights. Irish Americans and lovers of Ireland will enjoy this new book by Dan Mulhall because it brilliantly illustrates the timeless qualities and charms of Ireland that are on show in James Joyce’s novel, ‘Ulysses’.”
What a fantastic event! Thanks to our collaboration with Glucksman Ireland House (NYU) and to Daniel Mulhall who entralled a full house with his insightful and entertaining lecture (the recording is now available - see left). Dramatic readings of Yeats and Joyce by actors from the Monaco-Ireland Arts Society topped off a perfect evening. We were delighted to welcome Michael Flatley, who is a Joycean fan and who contributed photos to the James Joyce e-book last year to celebrate Ulysses centenary celebrations.
Theme of the lecture 10th May 2023
'Around the World with W.B. Yeats and James Joyce:
a diplomatic odyssey'
Actors from the Monaco-Ireland Arts Society will animate the insightful lecture by Daniel Mulhall with dramatic readings of works by Joyce and Yeats.
Daniel looks back over his 44 years in Ireland’s diplomatic service and reflect on his experience of telling Ireland’s story through the works of W.B. Yeats and James Joyce. What do Ireland’s two greatest writers reveal about Irish identity and the country’s modern history? His talk will draw on a lifelong interest in Irish history and literature, and on a diplomatic odyssey that culminated in Ambassadorial assignments in Berlin, London and Washington.
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Caroline Heafey, Assistant Director, Glucksman Ireland House at New York University said a few words about the collaborative venture with the Princess Grace Irish Library, which was announced in April 2023. This inaugural event with Daniel Mulhall was also a celebration of Princess Grace’s Irish-American roots, her adopted home in the Principality of Monaco, and her love of literature. The two institutions share the same vision to foster excellence in the study of Ireland and Irish America and plan to host an annual lecture alternating between the two locations. Going forward, they plan to create synergies between their respective programmes. Daniel Mulhall, the former Ambassador of Ireland to the USA (2017-2022), was The Global Distinguished Professor of Irish Studies at Glucksman Ireland House (NYU) for fall 2022.
Our thanks to actors Frank Dubuisson, John Luigi Megginson and Lynn Sharpe for their fabulous dramatic readings. Thank you also to The American Club of the Riviera and their President Timothy Molyneux, who organised for members to join us for the event.