On Wednesday, March 15, James Flannery, professor of Theater Studies, will give a concert featuring the works of several Irish literary masters including James Joyce, W. B. Yeats and Thomas Moore. Flannery will be accompanied by William Ransom, associate professor of piano in the music department.
This concert coincides with the re-release of Flannery's critically acclaimed recording of 39 of Moore's "Irish Melodies" with traditional Irish harpist Janet Harbison. "Music has a very important place in Irish culture and history," said Flannery. "Ireland is the only country whose symbol is a musical instrument, the harp." Celtic bards, who traditionally played the harp, held a very important position in their society. During feasts and other gatherings, the place on the right hand of the king was reserved for a bard.
Approximately 2,500 copies of Flannery's album were originally released, and many universities in the United States have a copy. The album was several years in the making, going back to his time as a student at Trinity University roughly 30 years ago. Flannery and several of his student friends would sing Moore's songs in the house of one of the students after whatever pub they were in had closed down for the night. "I always knew that one day, I wanted to record these songs," said Flannery.
The album itself actually was recorded in three separate sessions, two of which were held in a "backstreet" recording studio that once had been part of the old sewers underneath Dublin. "We walked down these dank stairs, and when we got into the studio, the ceiling was only about four inches above our heads," said Flannery. He also said that several young rock bands had used the same recording studio for their early demos including a small group that later became known as U2.
"Irish Melodies" has been well re-ceived among music critics. Charles Ac-ton of The Irish Times wrote, "James Flannery has a lovely tenor voice and that essential of all fine singers, devotion to the words." Denis Dono-ghue at New York Univer-sity said, "Flannery has a gorgeously lyrical voice and a remarkable sense of the relationship between feeling and form. He understands the `Melodies' as works of art and as constituents of an Irish culture we have not yet even begun to acknowledge."
Despite the success of his Moore recording, Flannery is actually a specialist on W.B. Yeats. He has directed 19 of Yeats' plays in Ireland, Canada and the United States and in 1988 founded the Yeats Drama Foundation in the United States. The main objective of this foundation is to restore Yeats' works to the role they once played in the Abbey Theater in Dublin. Since the foundation's inception, and due mainly to its efforts, the Abbey has established an Annual Yeats International Theater Festival, of which Flannery is the executive director.
Currently, Flannery is exploring the possibility of an Irish arts festival in conjunction with Emory's involvement in the Olympic Games. Because southern culture's roots lie in Ireland, he feels it is an appropriate venue. "Everything from Gone With the Wind to country music has a connection to Irish culture," said Flannery. This festival would fit in with Decatur's adoption of Ireland for the Olympics.
Flannery has received numerous honors for his work. He has been listed twice by Irish American Magazine as one of the 100 most prominent Irish Americans, and in 1993 he was given the Wild Geese Award for outstanding contributions to Irish culture.
In addition to this concert, Flannery and Ransom will perform a noontime concert at the Carlos Museum on March 17.
-- Mike MacArthur