Monaco-Ireland Arts Society

Promoting Irish Literature and the Arts in Monaco

CÉAD MÍLE FÁILTE  WELCOME

Our aim is to promote Irish literature and the arts by various means, such as public readings, stage presentations, lectures and friendly get togethers, and even musical evenings for the enjoyment and entertainment of all those interested, not only in the works of our great writers and artists, but also in Irish folklore.

For a comparatively small country, Ireland has made a disproportionate contribution to world literature in both the Irish and English languages.  The island’s most widely-known literary works are those of James Joyce, Brian Friel, Jonathan Swift and Oscar Wilde.

Let us not forget that Ireland also boasts four Nobel Prize winners for literature:

 

  • W B Yeats 1923
  • George Bernard Shaw 1925
  • Samuel Beckett 1969
  • and Seamus Heaney 1995
GB Shaw
Samuel Beckett

News

On 13 March, the Princess Grace Irish Library will be hosting a talk by author, Flor MacCarthy, and MIAS will be reading some of the letters from the Irish Presidents on important matters. Read more…

The Presidents' Letters
MIAS Retrospective

MIAS actors read poems by Yeats, and extracts from Joyce, at a lecture by the former Irish Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Mulhall held at the Princess Grace Irish Library

MIAS Dermot Bolger reading

Photo Courtesy of PGIL

MIAS was invited by the Princess Grace Irish Library to provide a short performance on St Patrick’s Day this year, together with a musical interlude by the Academie de Musique, which was filmed.

We were very honoured to give a command performance for H.S.H Prince Albert of Monaco.

MIAS performing for Prince Albert

Photo courtesy of the Princess Grace Irish Library

Culture Snippets

Clurichaun

The clurichaun is an Irish fairy which resembles the leprechaun.  Some folklorists describe the clurichaun as a night form of the leprechaun, who goes out to drink after finishing his daily chores.   They are invariably always drunk and surly!  It is said that if you treat them well, they will protect your wine cellar, otherwise they will wreak havoc on your home and spoil your wine stock!

Ireland

Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, and the 20th largest island in the world.  It lies to the northwest of Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets.  Irish was the predominant language of the Irish people for most of their recorded history, and they brought their Gaelic speech with them to other countries, notably Scotland and the Isle of Man where it gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx. 

Seamus Heaney

A much-quoted statement was when Seamus Heaney objected to being included in The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry (1982), despite being born in Northern Ireland. His response to being included in the British anthology was delivered in his poem, An Open Letter: “Don’t be surprised if I demur, for, be advised my passport’s green. No glass of ours was ever raised to toast The Queen.

Contact Us

Email Address
Call

+33 (682) 40 55 34

Address

Le Sardanapale
2 Avenue Princesse Grace
Monte-Carlo
98000 Monaco