States of Modernity: Forging Ireland in Paris 1922 | 2022

1922 was a seminal year for Ireland and Irish identity: the modern Irish state was founded; James Joyce's Ulysses was published in Paris; and the Irish Race Congress, a prestigious conference and accompanying art exhibition that was a reckoning of Irish identity politics, was held in the French capital.

As part of the Irish Government's Decade of Centenaries commemorations, an ambitious series of interlinked events and exhibitions took place in the Midwest United States, Ireland, and European capitals in 2022 to reflect on the events of 100 years ago, to examine the journey Ireland and Irish identity have travelled over the past century of statehood, and to look ahead to Ireland’s next century. Partners in this exploration of the forging of modern Ireland and Irish identity included: Trinity College Dublin, the O’Brien Art Collection – Chicago, the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, the Centre Culturel Irlandais – Paris, and the University of Paris-Sorbonne.

The Long Room Hub at Trinity College Dublin recreated the 1922 Exposition d'Art Irlandaise online. The launch of this effort was on 28 January: Seeing Ireland: Art, Culture, and Power in Paris, 1922. Trinity also hosted a conference in Summer 2022 with the same theme.

With its Global Ulysses Project, the Keough-Naughton Institute explored the impact of Ulysses and the how the themes of Joyce's seminal work find expression today; symposia, lectures, and celebratory events took place in Rome (March 10-11, 2022), Paris (June 1-3, 2022), Dublin (June 16, 2022), and on the Notre Dame campus, including a major event at the Hesburgh Library's Special Collections and Rare Books Room, "Ulysses at 100," on Wednesday, 9 February 2022.

The Snite Museum of Art at Notre Dame, collaborating with the O'Brien Collection, presented an exhibition Who Do We Say We Are? Irish Art 1922 | 2022. Along with the Keough-Naughton Institute, the Museum hosted a range of events—including talks, lectures, and readings—interrogating themes presented by the exhibit.

The Centre Culturel Irlandais' Joyce Season, marking the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses in Paris, ran thrroughout 2022 and included a number of exhibitions and conferences.

Musical responses to the States of Modernity initiative were featured at a concert at the Snite Museum on Friday, 22 April 2022, 3:00 pm, and online. Please see: "Who Do We Say We Are? Irish Art 1922 | 2022": A Musical Interlude

Support was provided by the Irish Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Decade of Centenaries programme.

Please read more about the interlocking events at the Consulate General of Ireland's Chicago's site: States of Modernity: Forging Ireland in Paris 1922 | 2022