Darragh McKeon and Cóilín Parsons Headline HoCoPoLitSo’s 46th Annual Irish Evening

7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 3, 2024
Smith Theatre, Horowitz Center, Howard Community College

HoCoPoLitSo’s 46^th annual Evening of Irish Music and Poetry on Saturday, February 3^rd, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. presents Novel Approach: Troubles in Ireland and America, featuring novelist Darragh McKeon, reading from his new book, Remembrance Sunday, followed by a conversation moderated by Cóilín Parsons, Georgetown University Associate Professor and Director of Global Irish Studies, wherein the two will explore the crossroads between the Troubles and our current political moment in America and worldwide. The evening also features music by Poor Man’s Gambit; and Ireland’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States, Orla Keane, will give opening remarks.

The evening program begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 3^rd, 2024.  Irish beverages, scones, and books will be offered for sale beginning at 7 p.m. and during intermission.  A book sale and signing follows the reading and discussion.  After intermission, Poor Man’s Gambit will play traditional Irish music.

General in-person admission is available for $45 up to the day of the event.  Ticket sales are now available, and we invite you to take advantage of this offer with our promise of a memorable evening in February that would make an excellent holiday gift, today.

Proceeds from the event are used to underwrite HoCoPoLitSo’s literary programs in the community, and the production of The Writing Life, a writer-to-writer talk show now seen worldwide on youtube.com/hocopolitso, and through Howard Community College’s Dragon Digital TV.

Darragh McKeon is an Irish novelist, screenwriter, and director.  Originally starting out in theatre, Darragh directed numerous independent productions in Ireland, in addition to working in several of the world’s leading theatres— Steppenwolf in Chicago, The Young Vic, and The Royal Court in London.

In 2014, his debut novel All That is Solid Melts Into Air was translated into nine languages and published in twenty countries. It was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, was shortlisted at the Irish Book Awards and in France, received the LIRE Prize for “Best International Debut.” His second novel, Remembrance Sunday was released this past summer, and will be available for purchase and signing at HoCoPoLitSo’s Irish Evening.

Darragh is currently working on his third novel and has several film projects in development.

Cóilín Parsons is Associate Professor of English at Georgetown University, where he is also Director of Global Irish Studies and Willian and Karen Sonneborn Chair for Interdisciplinary Collaboration.

He is the author of The Ordnance Survey and Modern Irish Literature (Oxford, 2016) and has edited or co-edited Transnationalism in Irish Literature and Culture (Cambridge, 2004);  Science, Technology, and Irish Modernism (Syracuse, 2019); and Relocations: Reading Culture in South Africa (Cape Town, 2015).

Poor Man’s Gambit was formed in 2015 and hails from Philadelphia, PA, with a musical repertoire rooted in Irish traditions. The group has released three albums, completed two international tours, and has been noted as an increasingly popular Irish-American group.

Featuring fiddle, button accordion, guitar, bodhran, bouzouki, vocals, and dance, the trio brings together diverse musical backgrounds which complement the others’ musical styles. With two multi-instrumentalists in the line-up, PMG has been noted for their ability to change up within the space of one performance and offer several levels of musical depth to listening ears.

About HoCoPoLitSo’s Annual Irish Evening

Howard County Poetry and Literature Society’s annual Evening of Irish Music and Poetry features Irish writers and poets, musicians and dancing.  This program debuted in 1979 and is chaired by HoCoPoLitSo’s Irish Evening Co-Chairs Anne Reis and Edward Young.

Among the many poets, novelists and memoirists to be featured at past Irish Evenings are such distinguished writers as:

• Frank McCourt
• Seamus Heaney
• Emma Donoghue
• Paula Meehan
• Theo Dorgan
• Colm Tóibín
• Colum McCann
• Claire Keegan
• Anne Enright
• Maureen Dowd

Recordings of past years’ events are provided free of charge, worldwide on HoCoPoLitSo’s official YouTube channel, youtube.com/hocopolitso. Use the short links bit.ly/irisheve44 and bit.ly/irisheve45 to share with your friends and family!