Argentine university course features work of Westmeath poet
The first ever Irish Studies university course aimed at people who wish to gain an in-depth insight into modern Ireland is being offered at a college in Argentina and features works by Westmeath poet, John Ennis.
Speaking to us from his home at Coralstown, Mullingar, Dr Ennis said that there are people in Argentina who read the Westmeath Examiner every week for news of home.
This, Dr Ennis explained, is because thousands left this county, as well as Longford, Offaly, Galway and Wexford during the dark years of the 19th century to forge a better life in South America and he sees this diploma course as a new cementing of the links between Argentina and Ireland, especially the midlands.
According to Dr Ennis, Irish studies have never before been formally and systematically taught in Argentina. Two of the lecturers on the course at the School of Modern Languages, Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Professors Cruset and Keegan visited Westmeath three years ago.
Another lecturer at Universidad del Salvador, Maria Graciela Eliggi, had already featured John’s work for years on her university course at Universidad de la Pampa.
It is intended that this diploma course will have a strong and significant national and international presence in developing areas of Irish Studies.
The course will be taught online, in Spanish, and will explore the multifaceted and multi-layered aspects of Irish identity.
Its objectives are to promote dissemination and study of the Irish culture in Argentina and abroad, in order to convey the most significant elements of that culture and its diaspora, its history, literature, folklore, socio-political and economic aspects and distinctive elements such as the Irish language.
Another objective is that of arousing interest and academic reflection on the different aspects of Irish culture and identity and to foster among students the knowledge of the links between Irish immigration and Argentine culture.
The course is attracting students not only from Argentina, but across South America and the USA.
Most of those enrolling have a basic knowledge of Celtic culture and many have Irish ancestry.
John Ennis is a prolific poet and his work is translated into Spanish by young Peruvian poet Giovanni Mangiante.
A number of John’s poems feature in the current edition of A Journal of Irish Studies (Firenzi University Press) from SILAS (Society for Irish Latin American Studies), where he introduces the work of Giovanni Mangiante.
In April 2019, Prof. María Eugenia Cruset and Prof.Viviana Keegan attended the SILAS Conference in Trinity College Dublin. They visited Mullingar and Horseleap where Professor Keegan’s great grandmother, Rosanna Ronan Clavin was born in 1855.
Rosanna and her family emigrated to Argentina in 1964 when migration was at its peak.