Centre for Irish Studies at Charles University
Every Friday, Irish can be heard in the centre of Prague in Kavárna Liberál, as people get together to participate in a weekly ciorcal comhrá.
This is because of the work of the Centre for Irish Studies at Charles University, which promotes Irish culture through literature, drama, film, music, and the Irish language.
Irish literature inspirations
The Centre for Irish Studies was founded in 2002 and is led by Director Ondřej Pilný, Professor of English and American Literatures. Pilný’s interest in Irish literature was first piqued on a trip to Ireland, where he discovered the works of Flann O’Brien.
Following a visiting studentship at Trinity College Dublin in 1992-93, he came back to Charles University to set up the first courses dedicated to Irish literature with Clare Wallace and other colleagues.
Irish culture in a European context
Since then, Pilný’s work has included analysis and translations of Irish drama from J.M. Synge to the works of contemporary playwrights, including Martin McDonagh and Enda Walsh.
“The Centre for Irish Studies aims to teach, research and promote Irish culture in the Czech Republic in European and global contexts. Our graduates are the future ambassadors of Irish culture, working as educators, translators, broadcasters, journalists, producers, curators, diplomats or other members of the civil service,” says Pilný.
Irish-language tradition
The Centre also has a strong Irish-language tradition. This is overseen by senior lecturer Radvan Markus, whose focus is on Irish language and literature.
Markus translated Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s seminal novel, Cré na Cille, from Irish into Czech in 2017. The novel, which was first published in 1949, was only translated into English for the first time in 2015 due to the complexity of the text.
Another staff member, Daniela Theinová, researches Irish-language poetry and already in 2004, translated the very first novel from Irish to Czech – Pádraic Ó Conaire’s Deoraíocht.
“Tuigeann ár gcuid mic léinn an luach cultúrtha a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge agus le héagsúlacht teangacha go coitinne. Is teanga bheag idirnáisiúnta í an Ghaeilge i bPrág a nascann daoine de chúlraí agus de náisiúntachtaí éagsúla le chéile. Cuirimid cúrsaí ar fáil do mhic léinn ar gach leibhéal faoi láthair – ní bheimis in ann an méid sin a chur i gcrích gan tacaíocht ó rialtas na hÉireann,” says Markus.
Students of the Centre for Irish Studies come from all over the Czech Republic, Europe and beyond. The Centre maintains close links with other Irish Studies centres across Europe and globally through the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies (EFACIS), the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures (IASIL) and other networks.
Emigrant Support Programme
In recent years, the Centre has received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Emigrant Support Programme, which is designed to support initiatives that foster Ireland’s cultural heritage abroad.
Every year, the Centre organises events to highlight all of the different facets of Irish culture, with poetry readings, live music, multimedia performances, conferences and more.
“The long-term support of the Irish Government and the Embassy of Ireland has been essential to the Centre’s activities, and the grant funding provided via the Emigrant Support Programme is fundamental for the provision of public events in particular.
Without it, we would still be sharing single copies of books by Irish writers with students and only dreaming of introducing actual live authors and artists to audiences in the Czech Republic,” says Pilný.