July 11th, Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum, County Dublin.
2026 THEME:
Cuala, a women’s arts collective: artists, makers, poets.
Morning
09.30-10.15: Registration/Coffee
10.15: Official Opening of the Symposium
Special Guest: Dr Éimear O’Connor, National Museum of Ireland
‘And in Our Way Our Letters and Cables are Making a Book of Art History’;
New York Networks – Achievement and Loss for Lily and Elizabeth Yeats.
Followed at 10.45 by three papers from:
- Dr Kathryn Milligan, Art Historian : Cuala in Context: The Yeats Sisters and the Dublin Art World.
- Professor Margaret Kelleher, UCD: Eileen Colum and the working women.
- Bairbre O’Hogan, independent researcher and author: W.M Letts and the Verschoyle Connection to the Cuala Press.
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.
16.00: Early researchers’ platform – Sophie Anne Bureau
Dun Emer Guild Tapestries: Weaving Ireland’s Craft, Ecological and Cultural Heritage
This paper focuses on weaving at Dun Emer during the first quarter of the 20th century and the ways in which the practice reflected the ongoing political, economic and artistic attempts to reclaim Ireland’s natural landscape and cultural heritage. Ireland’s particular climate made for internationally recognized high-quality wool and vibrant vegetable dyes, thus fostering the deep-rooted connection between crafting and the natural world. Due to their unique pictorial potential and symbolic richness —often inspired by mythology and the land— Dun Emer tapestries will be the focus of this study. Drawing from the National Museum of Ireland’s collection and archival material, this research aims to reposition weaving within both heritage craft and ecological discourses, offering new perspectives on the unique legacy of textile production in Ireland.
Audience Q&A and discussion closing at 17.00.
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 