Irish Poet, Musician Headline UWM's Visiting Writers Series

MILWAUKEE — Irish poet and essayist Eamonn Wall and traditional Irish musician Gearoid O'hAllmhurain will perform on Thursday, Oct. 7, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), kicking off the Visiting Writers Series by UWM's Creative Writing Program.

The two, both Jefferson Smurfit professors of Irish Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, will appear at 7:30 p.m. at the Hefter Conference Center, 3271 N. Lake Dr.. The event is free and open to the public.

Wall, a UWM alumnus, is the author of four collections of poetry: "Refuge at DeSoto (2004)," "The Crosses (2001)," "Iron Mountain Road (1997)," and "Dyckman-200th St. (1993)." He also has written a book of essays on the Irish diaspora, "From the Sin-e
Café to the Black Hills," which received the Michael Durkan Award from the American Conference for Irish Studies for the best book published in the fields of Language and Literature in 2000.

Born in County Wexford, Ireland, Wall holds a BA from University College, Dublin; a master's degree from UWM; and a Ph.D. from City University of New York.

O'hAllmhurain holds five World Championship Irish music titles as concertina player, uillean piper, and member of the renowned Kilfenora Ceili Band, the oldest traditional dance band in Ireland. His two albums, "Traditional Music From Clare and Beyond" (1996) and "Tracin Traditional Music From the West of Ireland" (2000) have been praised by reviewers. He also is the author of the best-selling "A Pocket History of Traditional Irish Music" (1998).

A native of County Clare, Ireland, O'hAllmhurain has dedicated his career to promoting the preservation of Irish traditional music, folk life and culture. A recognized authority on the cultural impact of the Great Irish Famine, he received his undergraduate and master's degrees from University College, Cork, and Trinity College, Dublin, and a Ph.D. from Queens University, Belfast.

Sponsors include the UWM English Department, the College of Letters and Science, The Boudreaux Foundation, UWM Alumni Association, UWM Center for Celtic Studies and UWM's Creative Writing Program, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary as a graduate program this year. For more information contact Steve Tighe, 414-229-6991 or 964-5582.

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