Issuu

Photo (c) Tom Nelligan (www.thestandingstone.ie)

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND NEWSLETTER

Editorial Dear CAI members, It is with pleasure (and no small sense of relief!) that this Newsletter reports the return of some normality to Classical Association Branch and University events – although online meetings continue to predominate, inperson activities began to be possible again and more are scheduled to come, such as the CANI screening of the 1962 film The 300 Spartans (left) in Belfast later this week, a nod to the 2500th anniversary of the battle of Thermopylae! We also look forward to the next ClassicsNow festival in January 2022. At the time of writing, Storm Barra rages across our island. It is to be hoped that the weather soon settles and we experience the kind of winter beauty captured by Tom Nelligan, above, at the Grange Lios stone circle, near Lough Gur in Limerick. The monument dates to about 2000 BCE and is the largest surviving stone circle in Ireland. Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and safe festive season, Selga Medenieks

DECEMBER 2021

A ROMAN LAR FROM NAVAN

CAREERS WITH CLASSICS

BRANCH & UNIVERSITY NEWS

DECEMBER 2021

A MOST UNUSUAL ROMAN FIND FROM THE RIVER BOYNE AT NAVAN By CLODAGH LYNCH

This small figure of a Roman lar, a protective household deity, which is housed in the National Museum of Ireland, came from the George Petrie collection. The copper alloy figurine was presented to Petrie by William Wakeman, compiler of the catalogue of Petrie’s collection in 1867. The catalogue states that the object is a ‘Roman draped figure found in the Boyne, near Navan’. No information exists about its discovery from the Boyne, whether it was dredged or fished up, or found on the bank or muds during a dry spell. The lar is a most unusual find from an Irish context and to date nothing comparable has come to light.

Photographs by Clodagh Lynch (c) National Museum of Ireland

The figurine measures 8.41cm in height and wears a short tunic and pallium (‘mantel’). Overall, the garment displays a flowing effect which reflects a swinging movement. The face has welldefined features portraying a youthful image. The eyes have deepened sockets which may have contained inserts of enamel, glass, or paste, and the nose is flattened due to wear. The entire face is framed by a full body of curly hair. The right arm is held vertically but is broken at the wrist and the left arm extends forwards, displaying a clenched fist.

The legs are well proportioned; the right leg is slightly bent forwards but the left is straight, although the heel is raised to indicate a forward movement. The figure appears to be wearing ankle boots. There is a slight pit or hole under the right foot which was probably for fixing the object onto a base. The figure is finely executed for its size and the surface smoothness indicates that it was often handled and may have been carried about in antiquity. In its complete form the figure would have held attributes associated with the god in each hand. The lar is first and foremost associated with Roman religion and would have played an important role in the daily lives of people. Roman religion was polytheistic and every aspect of life was governed by appeasement of the gods and giving them due honour. The gods were omnipresent. Alongside the main pantheon was a multitude of minor deities: one such group were the lares, whose role was diverse and whose sphere of influence extended into many aspects of people’s lives. They were usually considered protectors and guardians. By far the best known and most studied types of lar are the lar familiaris (‘of the household’) and lar compitalis (‘of the crossroads’).

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

The lares are mentioned on numerous occasions by the ancient sources with reverence and affection. Tibullus recalled childhood days spent playing about their feet and Horace recorded that their images were crowned with rosemary and myrtle. Offerings and homage were defined from early on and took place on a regular basis, as demonstrated by Tibullus: ‘If only I could once again celebrate the Penates of my ancestors and each month pay homage of incense to the ancient lar.’ As household gods they were venerated universally and this is borne out by the large number of statuettes that have been found throughout the Empire. As public gods they were worshipped at crossroads where the boundaries of several properties met and shrines were erected at intersections. Both classes of figures are for the most part uniformly attired; they wear a short-girded tunic, a mantle, and boots. They are characterised by attributes of peace and plenty, usually a rhyton and a patera or situla for the lares compitales, and a cornucopia and patera for the lar familiaris. Their stance, on the other hand, is not uniform; in general, the lares compitales adopt a dance-like and freeflowing pose, whereas the lares familiares are static – but this does not hold true in every case, as some figures associated with the lares compitales can also be quite rigid.

From research carried out by the writer, it is possible to place the Navan lar in the class of lares compitales. These occur in pairs and are a mirror image of each other and portray movement. The festival of the compitali was a merry and joyful occasion and corresponds to the lively nature of these lares. For both groups of figures the iconography is remarkably consistent, a testimony to the longevity of their cult. This iconography is not a rigid typology as both classes of figures can be found in a domestic setting, with the dancing lares more common in wall paintings from Pompeii. At the heart of the landscape at Navan are its two main rivers, the Boyne and Blackwater, which converge at Navan. This major confluence is today all but masked by the modern town that, as Newman says, ‘obscures the topography of this turbulent riverine junction, which occurs in a deep and steep-sided ravine and must have been quite dramatic, and indeed treacherous, in the past’.1 The landscape between Drogheda and Navan is dominated by the Boyne, which is rich in prehistoric and historic associations; it was known too during the classical period. The vast number of monuments that are located on either side of the river is testament to its importance. This was a sacred landscape which was steeped in mythology and legend. The Boyne was no ordinary river; this powerful and awe-inspiring sight was greatly revered and provided the natural connecting artery through the Meath landscape. From this wider area we find there is a somewhat large concentration of Roman objects. The contexts in which Roman materials have been found include the megalithic tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, the royal site at Tara, and other lesser-known sites. There is some evidence for Roman-like practices in the Irish paleo-religious record and several sites demonstrate such practices: at St Anne’s Well at Randalstown, located just 1 Newman, C., 2005. ‘Re-composing the Archaeological Landscape of Tara.’ In E. Bhreathnach (ed.), The Kingship and Landscape of Tara. Four Courts Press. www.classicalassociation.ie

DECEMBER 2021

over 4 kilometres north-east of Navan, a sherd of Samian ware and a Roman brooch were deposited. What we seem to have here is a practice that relates to Roman traditions of placing offerings at sacred wells and springs. To a Roman every aspect of the natural landscape was deemed sacred and this is borne out by classical authors. Apuleius states that ‘it is the custom of pious travellers, whenever they come across a sacred grove or holy place along their way, to make a vow, offer fruit and sit awhile’ and Seneca mentions that springs, rivers or pools were deemed sacred, along with a host of other topographical sites. In this context the Navan lar would not seem out of place. Its association with the lares compitales suggests a connection with crossroads. Was the confluence of the Boyne and Blackwater at Navan a proxy for what ordinarily would have been the circumstances of use/deposition in the Roman world? This could very well be the case and explain the fate of this object.

The Navan lar is a most unusual find and, in terms of its find context, is the only example that the writer has come across from a riverine location. An object such as this, so closely connected to Roman family cult and the festival of the crossroads, would have been much revered and not readily discarded. The placing of this object in the river Boyne at Navan was not a trivial act: in this event it was put beyond use, indicating that it was most surely deposited as a votive offering in fulfilment of a vow. The object is an oddity for Ireland and out of place with where such items would have been associated in the Roman world. But, as we have noted, the Boyne was no ordinary river; it was highly significant and culturalised. It could be speculated that this personalised Roman object may have been deposited by a Roman at a sacred junction at Navan, a proxy for what was a significant intersection (crossroads), in the river Boyne. In any case, it is a most important artefact from an Irish perspective and highlights that Ireland was far more connected to the Roman world than is often thought to be the case.

The confluence of the rivers Boyne and Blackwater at Navan. (Drawing by Elaine Lynch)

The National Museum of Ireland entry for the Navan lar, with description by Rachel O'Byrne, can be read by clicking this link: https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/ Collections-Research/Collection/ Documentation-Discoveries/Artefact/ARoman-Figurine-from-the-Boyne-Valley/ e07e95d7-fe24-4332-bf29-c1040bef78cf

A superb example of a Roman lar, now in the British Museum, 1st century AD. Photograph: (c) The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

'Careers with Classics 2021' at Maynooth University The first Careers with Classics event took place online on MS Teams on 16 September 2021. The event was organised by the Department of Ancient Classics and Careers Service at Maynooth University and provided an exciting opportunity to meet Classics graduates who shared their experience and career journey into the professional world. A panel composed of six international speakers with a background in Classics was interviewed by Dr Cosetta Cadau (Ancient Classics) before an audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students, guidance counsellors, and secondary school pupils from third to sixth year from all over Ireland. The panel included Dr Siobhan Hargis, a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and now Assistant Principal Officer at the Department of Health; Ms Emer Craig, a graduate of NUI Maynooth and now an experienced marketing and business development practitioner with particular expertise in the legal services sector; Mr Lewis Purser, a graduate of TCD and now director of Learning, Teaching & Academic Affairs at the Irish Universities Association; Mr Nicola Sanna, a freelance archaeologist and a tourist guide whose research has focused on protohistoric architecture; Ms Antonella Serra, a Corporate Event Manager within the medical sector; and Dr Jacopo Tabolli, an archaeologist expert in Etruscology and Assistant Professor at the University of Siena, Italy. The speakers revealed how they found success in a variety of exciting careers (marketing and business development, the education sector and academic policy and administration, civil service, PR & event management, museum curating, law, digital marketing, and cultural heritage management) and helped us understand how to best market the skills that they acquired through a degree in Classics. Among the questions addressed by the event were: • How has a degree in Classics prepared you, enabled you, or led you to your current profession? • What were your career goals when you graduated and what are they now? • Which skills that you learned through your Classics degree, or which experiences, influenced your career? • Which skills set you apart from other candidates? The event concluded with a lively Q&A session and with words of advice to prospective Classics students in regard to entering the job market in different career sectors. A recording of the event will be available on the Maynooth University website, and from cosetta.cadau@mu.ie.

www.classicalassociation.ie

DECEMBER 2021

'Reading Beauty in Late Antiquity' The international conference 'Reading beauty in Late Antiquity' was held at Maynooth University (via Microsoft Teams) on 26 November 2021. We welcomed a panel of nine international experts in late antique literature and an impressive audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as fellow researchers in the field of Late Antiquity and Classics more broadly. We at Maynooth were delighted to see such a great interest in the conference and enjoyed a productive and thought-provoking discussion. The keynote speaker, Prof. Valerio Neri, from the University of Bologna, delivered an insightful paper about representation and aesthetic evaluation of the barbarian body in late ancient literature. Subsequent papers focused on various genres of Late Antique literature: Dr Cosetta Cadau offered an analysis of the evaluation of feet in the literary contexts of beauty contests in the epics of Colluthus and Nonnus, and Dr Laura Miguélez Cavero discussed the aesthetic representation of bodies in the Dionysiaca of Nonnus. Paul the Silentiary's epigrams constituted the subject of Prof. Stamatia Dova's paper, which focused on the challenge of putting beauty into words or art. The topic of Dr Paula James' presentation was 'Pagan bodies of the figurative kind finding their place in a Christian world' and focused on the poetry of Prudentius. Latin poetry, in the shape of M. Valerius' Georgics, was the object of Mr Giovanni Trovato's paper. Prof. Andrew Smith delivered a fascinating paper about the idea of beauty in Plotinus, and Dr Luise Frenkel spoke to us

The Dionysus mosaic, Zeugma Photograph: (c) Dosseman (CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

about the human body in conciliar documents of the Christological controversy. Ms Gioia Soldi argued that Procopius’ presentation of the bodies of Justinian and Theodora in the Secret History has a clear negative connotation and shows their inability to govern, condemning the regime of actual chaos. The conference was very well attended, with students and scholars engaging in a lively and fruitful discussion. Many thanks to everyone in the Department of Ancient Classics for contributing to the success of this event! Cosetta Cadau

Classical Association in Northern Ireland CANI started off its academic year just last Thursday, 2 December. We had a talk in Queen’s University Belfast entitled ‘A brief introduction to Byzantine mutilation’. It was certainly not to disappoint! Complete with WARNING slides and gruesome pictures, we all sat absolutely enthralled as Dr Peter Crawford went into the nitty gritty of all the gruesome and gory details of tortures used during that time (which mainly seemed to involve the removal of body parts – especially the nose!). We were also treated to some history on Justinian II straight from Peter’s new book, Justinian II: The Roman Emperor who lost his nose and his throne... and regained both! This Thursday we’re right back into more CANI events – this time it will be our annual film night. In

2021 we are celebrating 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae and we are showing The 300 Spartans (1962) at the Strand Arts Theatre in Belfast. Certainly not to be missed if you are up in Belfast! Our programme for the next semester is jammed packed with talks, lectures, and our all important School’s Conference, where Natalie Haynes will be making an appearance as well. Our academic year, as always, will be rounded off with Helen McVeigh’s Belfast Summer School in Latin and Classical Greek; this year online and in person at Queen’s. Amber Taylor

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

CAI Branch & University News CORK Greetings once again. The Cork Branch is up and running once more physically, and it is great to be back! We began our autumn series of lectures with Dr David Woods of UCC who spoke to us about ‘Rethinking Some Puzzling Omens in Tacitus’ Annals’. The lecture was split into two parts: the first dealt with ‘The Intertwined Fate of Agrippa and Vespasian’; the second section was about ‘Agrippina as a Second-Rate Olympias’. Part one dealt with Agrippa and Vespasian from Book XIII from the Annals and superstitions were certainly rife at that time. As I write this, it is 30 October, Halloween, and I am reminded of all the traditions/superstitions which surround this festival and all that the Romans feared! Burning laurel bushes in 59 AD in Cologne, a fig tree withering in 68 AD at the death of Nero, and its regrowth again at the start of the Flavian Dynasty in 69 AD could put Celtic lore into the shade. Part two centred around the omens which connected Agrippina to Olympias. Both women killed their husbands and ‘ruled’ their son for a period of time. Nero made several attempts to kill Agrippina and finally succeeded when she was beaten to death! One of the stranger myths was a woman giving birth to a snake. Was this reality or a propaganda myth? Was Nero the ‘snake’? Was the story of the snake a mocking response to Nero’s attempt to present himself as a new Alexander the Great? Our November talk saw us welcome Aine Creegan. Aine had just submitted her Master’s thesis and with the topic fresh in her mind gave us a great talk on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in particular on ‘Envy, Hunger, Sleep and Rumour as personified by Ovid’. There are fifteen books in the Metamorphoses and divine punishment was strong towards offending mortals! Aine provided an excellent handout containing all the salient excerpts accompanied by some rather splendid illustrations, although ‘splendid’ is rather a relative term when you are faced with ‘envy intent upon a meal of viper flesh…’. No wonder Minerva looked away in disgust, as she herself was associated with snake imagery on her aegis. Various characters were mentioned in the talk: Aglauros and Arachne were part of the Envy section, while Erysichthon made an appearance in the Hunger section – the more he eats, the more he wants to eat. Perhaps Slimming World should adopt him as their mascot to scare us into not having that second jam-tart!

Sleep, as Shakespeare would have us believe, is ‘nature’s balm’. It ‘knits up the ravelled sleeve of care’ (Macbeth). Here Ovid personifies sleep as the shapeshifter, Morpheus from Book XI. To set Alcyone’s mind at ease about her dead husband: ‘Yes, I am not your dead husband but his shade… Don’t let delusion leave you prey to barren hopes…’. Finally, we looked at Rumour. Ovid personified rumour as a crowd. He saw it as not directly influencing anything; rather, it is the re-telling which influences. The interesting thing is that Virgil saw rumour as a monster. In the Aeneid she is ‘clinging to fiction and falsehood as often as telling the truth…’. The illustrated talk on Monday, 6 December, by Branch member Jennifer O’Donoghue traced the history of mosaics from the earliest times as pebble decorations on outer walls through to intricate interior Roman wall and floor patterns. The revered Ravenna religious designs were also looked at, as were contemporary images. Mosaics, like sculpture, reflect the history of the ages and the patterns and images depicted often can support historical facts, thus giving further credence to events reported to have occurred thousands of years ago. Mosaics are very durable, and the skill of the mosaicist is something which has to be admired considering the speed at which they worked and the tiny fragments they often used. If you happen to be in Rome over Christmas, take a trip to Ostia and see the many different styles in all their outdoor glory. If Roman Britain is more your thing, then a trip to see Fishbourne Palace in Chichester is a must! The Cork Branch is delighted to be back, and we encourage all our members to attend lectures if they feel safe doing so. Happy Christmas to all our Branch members and we hope to see you in February 2022. J. O'Donoghue

DUBLIN The Dublin Branch had a full programme of online events for the autumn, with four sessions of the Greek Reading Circle led by Bridget Martin, Paddy Sammon, Liz Foley, and Rory O’Sullivan, and three sessions of the Latin Reading Group, led by Patrick Ryan, Alan Tuffery, and Cosetta Cadau, all organised by Liam Bairéad. www.classicalassociation.ie

DECEMBER 2021

On 26 October, the Dublin Branch was joined by Dr Jane Masséglia (University of Leicester) for its first talk of the term on Zoom: 'Falling with style: how to fight and die like a Greek woman'. Dr Masséglia gave an enlightening and very informative lecture, taking us through a broad range of literary and material evidence on topics such as female combatants in myth and reality, as well as contextualising the literary motifs of Greek tragedy, such as the association of women with poisoning, with some real-world examples found on curse tablets. We also learned that women were quite adept at throwing heavy roof tiles at enemy soldiers and were reminded that, ultimately, the most dangerous and lethal situation a Greek woman could find herself in was childbirth. This was a wonderful start to the Dublin Branch talks for this year. Our second Dublin Branch talk of the term took place online on 30 November and we were joined by Dr Giorgos Papantoniou (Trinity College Dublin) who delivered a talk on 'Negotiating local and imperial identities: Cyprus from Classical to Hellenistic times'. This was a very rich lecture which covered a wide range of material evidence, such as Cypriot coins, cult statues, and inscriptions, as Dr Papantoniou discussed the ideological shift that took place during the rule of the Cyrpiot kings and subsequently under the control of the Ptolemaic Empire. We learned about the changes to the Cypriot landscape and new social divisions that emerged during the Hellenistic period, with extra-urban sanctuaries being repurposed as propaganda cults for the Ptolemies. Dr Papantoniou finished by telling us about his current projects, including Unlocking Sacred Landscapes and SeSaLaC (Settled and Sacred Landscapes of Cyprus), and we look forward to seeing how his work develops with these projects. The attendees at the talk joined us from a wide range of locations, including across Ireland, the UK, Cyprus and the U.S.

The online format continues to have a huge impact on outreach, and for Dr Jane Masséglia’s lecture we had a total of 60 in attendance, not just from Dublin and other parts of Ireland, but from all over the UK, including the Isle of Mull, as well as from Italy, Los Angeles, and even Petersburg, Alaska. The audience was extremely engaged, and among the words of thanks were the comments: ‘I have hand cramp from frantic note taking’; and ‘such a brilliant speaker, I don't want it to end!!’ One further online lecture is planned: ‘The death of the young in Virgil’s Aeneid’ by Dr Fiachra Mac Góráin, University College London, on 14 December. All online events are advertised on Twitter, with Branch lectures also promoted on Facebook and Eventbrite. Abstracts of the lectures, all organised by Lisa Doyle from Trinity College Dublin, have been circulated to CAI members by e-mail. Professor Andrew Smith’s online Greek Reading Course has continued with Euripides’ Medea, read in a total of twelve 90-minute sessions divided into two parts from October to December and January to February. The Dublin Branch looks forward to hosting the next ‘Summer School’ in August 2022. Alexander Thein and Lisa Doyle

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

LIMERICK Limerick Branch remains active, but restricted due to the pandemic. A short programme of lectures was organised: on 20 October we heard about ‘The Life and Times of David J. Bourchier’ from Martin O’Brien, B.E. (Limerick); and on 24 November about ‘Sardinia: bridging the Punic Wars’ from Patrick Hayes, MA (TCD) and PhD student (Cambridge University). Members are also taking part in both the Greek and the Latin Reading Groups, which are currently in session. Worthy of note was the launch of a new book (right) by one of our members, Gerald O’Carroll, entitled Charles Graves agus an Athbheochan Cheilteach ('...and the Celtic Revival'), on 2 December in the Gaelic League Hall, Thomas Street, at 8.00 p.m. Bishop Graves was the grandfather of Robert Graves, poet and novelist, who was famous for his work The Greek Myths, and the novel I, Claudius. The author acquaints us with the big names of the 1800-1880 period, especially those in TCD, for example Rowan Hamilton, George Petrie, Samuel Ferguson, etc. He was interested in Classics, of course, but also palaeontology, Celtic/Gaelic studies, philology, you name it! He also enjoyed music and co-founded the Choral Society in 1837, and knew Thomas Moore, Joseph Robinson, Villiers Stanford, and had even met Mendessohn in his German travels. This is not to mention Graves’ connections in Limerick, with the Wyndham Quins and the de Veres. As there is nothing in The Encyclopaedia of Ireland about Bishop Charles, Gerald O'Carroll’s book is of great value. Tom Seaver (Branch Hon. Sec.)

MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY Maynooth is open for business … we hope! We have enjoyed a semester “on campus” and especially meeting students and colleagues daily. Our seminar series kicked off Friday, 12 November, with a talk by our own Dr Kieran McGroarty on ‘Black-market babies and Athenian civic identity’, which brought us to the vexed question of finding babies lost in fifth century Athens for many reasons, including being sold away from their natal families and the implications for Athenian civic identity. On Tuesday, 23 November, Dr Charlie Kerrigan's talk in the MCS entitled ‘A people's history of Latin’ challenged us all to take Latin down from the mantlepiece and embrace it as a living entity relevant to our lives instead of an ornament gathering dust!

Charlie’s talk was a ‘hybrid’ event – in person and online – a first for MCS but Charlie rose to the challenge admirably. As I write I look forward to a completely online talk by Prof. Adriaan Lanni (Harvard Law School), ‘Applying insights from modern legal and political theory to the ancient world’, on Friday, 3 December. TIME: 4.00pm VENUE: The lecture will be held online, via Microsoft Teams. For the link to join, please email jonathan.davies@mu.ie. Our final presentation will be from one of our PhD students, Derek McCann: ‘The pai who came in from the cold: familial frameworks of social reintegration in Sophocles’ late tragedies’. This will be our event for the Saturnalia, on 10 December. We are most thankful to Dr Jon Davies, who organises these seminars for the Department of Ancient Classics. Dr Cosetta Cadau, another energetic colleague, arranged a superb conference on ‘Reading beauty in Late Antiquity’ with speakers from Italy and the UK, as well as Ireland. We were pleased to see our Newsletter Editor, Dr Selga Medenieks, in the audience also! (See the full report on page 6 above!) Cosetta not only arranged this online conference, she spoke on ‘Kind eyes and pretty feet: evolving evaluation criteria in late antique epic beauty contests’. Professor Andrew Smith regaled us in his usual erudite fashion with ‘Beauty and art in Plotinus’, which was followed by a very lively Masterclass discussion. There were seven other papers besides, and the keynote address – ‘Representation and aesthetic evaluation of the barbarian body in late ancient literature’ – was given by Professor Valerio Neri, Università di Bologna. A pre-Christmas feast! Happy Christmas from Maynooth to you all. Maeve O’Brien

www.classicalassociation.ie

DECEMBER 2021

Classics Ireland: Essays in Honour of Andrew Smith On 27 November the Classical Association of Ireland launched the latest volume of Classics Ireland (27 - 2020) entitled 'Platonic and Neoplatonic Thought - and Action. Essays in Honour of Andrew Smith'. The event was a particularly special occasion as this volume of the journal publishes a series of celebrations and academic articles in honour of Prof. Andrew Smith of UCD (below, left, with Joan Wright), a bastion of the CAI during its modern iteration. Part 1 includes celebratory essays recording Andrew's impact on the study of Classics in Ireland; Part 2 contains thirteen articles by Irish and international scholars on Platonism, Neoplatonism, and philosophy in Late Antiquity. The online launch was a happy and celebratory affair. Proceedings were opened by Helen McVeigh, Chair of the Central Council of the CAI, and the event was chaired by Shane Wallace, the editor of Classics Ireland. After introducing the volume and sharing his own reminiscences of being taught Ancient Greek by Andrew, Shane passed the baton to John Dillon (below, right), who celebrated Andrew – or 'Mr Porphyry' as he is known in philosophical circles – and the impact of his research on philosophy in Late Antiquity, particularly in the context of the foundation and work of the Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition housed in Trinity College Dublin. Fran O'Rourke of UCD then shared some charming reminiscences of Andrew and their long friendship, as well as their time as colleagues in UCD, Fran in the School of Philosophy and Andrew in the School of Classics. The event was nicely rounded out by Andrew's own reflections on his career and life in Ireland, as well as the praises and best wishes extended to him by the generations of colleagues, friends, and family from throughout Europe who attended the event. The event was not recorded, but the volume of Classics Ireland has been extended to all members of the CAI, either electronically or in print, and is also available on JSTOR. Shane Wallace

Leaving Certificate Latin, & Ancient Greek The NCCA Classical Languages development group is pleased to report that the draft specifications for the new Leaving Cert courses in Latin and Ancient Greek are now available at: https://ncca.ie/en/senior-cycle/curriculum-developments/ classical-languages-ancient-greek-and-latin/ The public consultation ran until 23 November 2021, but the draft specifications remain accessible. The aim is to introduce the new courses in September 2022. Martine Cuypers NCCA Classical Languages development group

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

ClassicsNow – save the date!

students. In interviews, discussions, film screenings and musical theatre performances, you will see and hear from artists who are working in different genres and art forms, in thought-provoking and imaginative ways. Watch out for programme highlights in the coming weeks, with full programme to be announced in December 2021. Come and join the new Renaissance! Did you miss ClassicsNow 2020?

The Future of the Past Friday, 21 - Sunday, 23 January 2022 Following the success of our inaugural festival in November 2020, our second weekend will explore Classics and the ancient world through the eyes of artists, writers and thinkers, international and Irish. Our three-day programme in January will present a series of inviting encounters, including performances, both online and live in public spaces – art galleries and cultural centres – with a number of events aimed at second and third-level

All 2020 events were streamed and can be watched again, free of charge. Links to the videos and films are on the event pages. Watch here: https://classicsnow.cmail19.com/t/t-l-cdjudcvuyurkuhj-t/ We look forward to welcoming you both in person and online from 21-23 January.

Martine Cuypers and Helen Meany

VALE Michael Donnellan (1934–2021)

Michael Donnellan, who passed away in August, was a member of the Limerick Branch since its foundation in 1995. He was a regular at lectures and other Branch activities and served as Branch Chairperson from 1999-2001. A native of Limerick city, he was educated in the Crescent College, where he achieved First Place in Ireland in Classics for his Leaving Certificate. However, he also excelled at mathematics and it was as a civil engineer that he graduated from UCD, in 1956. Michael then spent some years working in the private sector, before returning to his native city to take up an engineering post with Limerick Corporation in the early 1960s. It was here that he spent the rest of his career, supervising the various engineering projects in housing, drainage, and bridge-building, all of which were part of his portfolio. His hand may be seen today in many of Limerick’s housing estates and in its public works and buildings. One might say the same about Michael’s legacy in Limerick, as Sir Christopher Wrenn did of St Paul’s Cathedral: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice. Michael’s many interests outside of civil engineering – and apart from Classics, of course – included railways. In this field, he had a comrade in Prof. George Huxley and they had many a good talk together on the subject. During his retirement he involved himself in charitable activities, especially in helping weak students grapple with the problems of mathematics. His fellow CAI members in Limerick mourn the loss of a highly-esteemed member and friend. Requiescat in pace. Tom Seaver

www.classicalassociation.ie

DECEMBER 2021

Michael and the Bridge The late Michael Donnellan, whose obituary appears in this Newsletter, was known to his many friends in the Association as a most courteous gentleman and as an affable host when, as Limerick Branch Chairman, he welcomed Annual Conference to the city. He was also an excellent raconteur; his stories at Conference and Branch dinners kept us all entertained. The following will, I hope, serve as a suitable reminder in his memory. Michael worked as Senior Executive Engineer with Limerick City Council (then Limerick Corporation) for many years until his retirement in 1999. One of the Corporation’s major engineering projects in his time was the construction of the new Shannon Bridge, later known as the ‘whistling bridge’ from the banshee noises caused by winds coming up the Shannon estuary. It was rumoured at the time to be a return of the ‘Bishop’s Lady’, a particularly vicious apparition who haunted the much earlier Thomond Bridge just up the river. Michael was later involved in the ultimately successful efforts to abate the whistling. Incidentally, a debate took place in the City Council some years ago to re-name the structure John F. Kennedy Bridge in commemoration of the U.S. President’s visit to Limerick in the summer of 1963, just five months before his assassination in Dallas; that however, like the Bishop’s Lady of Thomond Bridge, remains unsolved. When the bridge was completed in 1988, the Corporation invited the then Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey, to perform the official opening. Mr Haughey duly obliged, the tape was cut, and the first car to cross the bridge carried the Taoiseach and the then Mayor of Limerick, Cllr. Tim Leddin. Michael told in his inimitable style what happened next. A civic reception was held at the city’s Glentworth Hotel. While they awaited the call to dinner, the assembled dignitaries and guests engaged in conversation in the lobby. Michael, by chance, happened to strike up a

long talk with Mr Haughey, who had a noted and highly developed ability to extract every possible snippet of information from everyone he met. Dinner was eventually called. When they were seated, the councillors and engineers, consumed with curiosity, wanted to know what on earth the two had discussed for so long. “Well, as a matter of fact,” said Michael, “we were actually talking about pre-stressed concrete”, much to the puzzlement of the questioners. Michael, of course, knew well the purpose of the exercise. Mr Haughey used the opportunity to absorb information about the principal component of the bridge construction, so that at the next such opening or any similar occasion, he could talk about it with authority and would appear to be expert on the subject of prestressed concrete. That story was followed by an addendum. A substantial grant of EU (then probably EC) money had been negotiated for the bridge. In due course, an inspector, who was, if I remember, a Frenchman, arrived in Limerick to sign off on the final accounts. He travelled with Michael from his office to the site of the bridge. After what appeared to Michael to be a very cursory inspection, he declared himself quite satisfied. Michael then asked if they should now return to the office to go through the plans, costings, specifications, etc. “Not at all,” said he, “that will not be necessary.” He went on to explain that on another such case some time before, he had travelled to southern Italy, where again a large European grant had been obtained for a bridge project. The entire funding, however, disappeared into the coffers of the Calabrese Mafia, or ‘Ndrangheta, with the result that no bridge ever appeared at all! “Therefore,” said the Frenchman, “my only business here is to confirm that a bridge actually exists.” Having seen for himself that it did, he authorised the funds, bade farewell to Michael, and departed. And there we also say farewell, to our friend and colleague, engineer, classicist, storyteller, and gentleman, Michael Donnellan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. Patrick J. Ryan

CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND

VALE Mary O' Sullivan (1948–2021)

Mary O’ Sullivan (née Geraghty) was born in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, in September 1948. She attended secondary school in St Wolstan’s, Celbridge, after which she spent a year in Paris, focussed on developing her French language fluency. She then attended University College Dublin, graduating with a degree in English and French, and a H. Dip in Ed. While in UCD, Mary discovered and nurtured what became her lifelong love of language and for all the creativity and possibilities it brings. Having taught for a period, she, together with many of her friends, decided to apply for ‘Landed Immigrancy’ in Canada in 1973 and she moved to Toronto that summer. She and Tony O’ Sullivan were married at the University of Toronto Chapel later that year, with several of those friends present. She had met Tony at UCD and he had just started an Assistantship in Classics, just over the border in Buffalo, New York. Their Best Man was Michael McCloskey, who was also on a Classics Assistantship in McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario. Both Tony and Michael were very much influenced and supported while in UCD by Vic Connerty and the late Professor John O’Meara, whose encouragement and mentorship led them towards studying Classics at postgraduate level. After their time in America, Mary and Tony returned to Ireland, and settled in Limerick as their young family grew. Mary taught English, French, and German – first in St Mary’s Secondary School, Newport, Co. Tipperary, and subsequently in Villiers School, Limerick. As a teacher Mary was widely and highly regarded for her passion and expertise, her work ethic, her ability to inspire young people to work hard and achieve their best, and for her kindness, especially to those students who needed extra support. Alongside her classroom teaching, Mary also undertook further postgraduate study in Linguistics, with a minor thesis in Shelta, the language of the travelling community, at the University of Limerick, where she later also had part-time teaching responsibilities. She was part of a delegation that went to Russia, in the early days of Glasnost, on a programme designed to raised the standards of TEFL courses in teacher training colleges. Mary retired from teaching in 2008, by which time she and Tony had become regular and active members of the Classical Association of Ireland, particularly the

Limerick Branch. She very much enjoyed the lectures, organised by their good friend Tom Seaver, together with the outings and other social events. Mary's love for the expressive power of language, particular through poetry, were central to her very essence, and to what she imparted to all those who loved her. Mary is survived by her husband, Tony, daughters Lucy (London), Katy (Melbourne), and Dorothy (London), her sons-in-law Tim and Bill, and grandchildren Alannah, Theo, Patrick, and Michael. Lucy O' Sullivan

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all, And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm. I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me. – Emily Dickinson