July 11th, Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum, County Dublin.
THEME: Cuala, a women’s arts collective: artists, makers, poets.
Morning
10.00: Registration/Coffee
Official Opening of the Symposium
Special Guest: Dr Éimear O’Connor, Interim Director, National Museum of Ireland
Followed by three papers from:
- Dr Joseph McBrinn, Ulster University: The Yeats Sisters and Modernism.
- Professor Margaret Kelleher, UCD: Eileen Colum – maker
- Bairbre O’Hogan, historian and author: Sing in the Quiet Places of my heart: the life and work of W.M Letts.
Paper titles/abstracts and detailed itinerary to follow later in May.
Chair: Martina Devlin, award-winning novelist and journalist.
A light lunch will be served at 13.00
Early Afternoon session 14.00
Irish premier of ‘Unquiet Dreams’
A short film by Cyrus Rosen & Joe Nugent, featured in the recent exhibition:
Collaborating in Conflict: The Yeats Family and the Public Arts,
at the McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College.
The film explores ‘the ancient, elemental landscape of county Sligo that provided reassurance and life-long inspiration’ not only to Lily and Elizabeth, but that is woven in the fabric of all the Yeats’ artistic lives, with an introduction by Professor Joe Nugent, English Department and Irish Studies Program, Boston College.
14.30 Two separate events:
Live Printing with the National Print Museum
Interested in experiencing the craft of letterpress printing as practised by the Elizabeth Yeats? Join the National Print Museum for live printing. This is a unique opportunity to pull a bespoke letterpress keepsake in celebration of the Cuala Press and experience the beauty of traditional printing in action.
or
A Guided walking tour (14.30) of Yeats’ life in Churchtown/Dundrum with local historian, John Lennon, and in collaboration with dlr Dundrum Library, which will host an exhibition, in partnership with the Irish Guild of Embroiderers, of a series of contemporary individual pieces reflecting on the iconic work of Lily Yeats, and the Church of Ireland Taney parish.
Early researchers’ platform (tba: late May, 2026)
The platform affords a student (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) an opportunity to highlight their work in researching a dissertation study. The work must be within the realm of Irish cultural or women’s history, and hold a connection to either Lily or Elizabeth Yeats, the period they lived and worked in, Dun Emer or Cuala Industries, or the wider themes of the arts and crafts movement and/or the Irish cultural revival.
Audience Q&A and discussion.
Each session will be chaired, followed by a Q&A.
This Symposium is made possible with the collaborative partnership of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Heritage & Libraries; the Cuala Press Project, Trinity College Dublin; National Print Museum, the Irish Guild of Embroiderers and Yeats Society Sligo.
Bookings for the Symposium can be made through our eventbrite page:
The Yeats Sisters 