CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND
May 2018
“Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics”, as well as appearances on Question Time and as a reviewer of the papers on the BBC News Channel. Natalie wowed the audience with her energy and enthusiasm for Classics and spoke about topics from her 2010 book The Ancient Guide to Modern Life. I am pleased to announce that Natalie will be returning to Belfast to be the keynote speaker at the CAI Summer School hosted in August by Queen’s University Belfast. Feedback from the young people who attended the day has been overwhelmingly positive and, as a result, CANI is considering making this an annual undertaking; a similar event is being planned for spring 2019. Of course, the day would not have been such a fantastic success without the help of a number of groups and individuals: the Ulster Museum; David Grant (QUB) and his drama students for their thought-provoking performances of Antigone and Iphigenia in Aulis; Dr Sharon Jones (Stranmillis University College) and her primary teaching students for providing the art activities; Legion Ireland for making the journey from Cork; Natalie, Arlene, Edith and Sam from Advocating Classics Education; and all the members of the CANI Board who gave their time. Most of all, CANI would like to thank the young people for their enthusiasm and their teachers for enabling them to participate. Helen McVeigh
now about the possibility of studying some element of classics at University...” On 5 March CANI members were very fortunate to attend William Crawley’s interview of Professor Mary Beard at BBC Blackstaff. Over the course of ninety minutes, Prof. Beard spoke on a variety of subjects linked to the new series ‘Civilisations’, its making, and its predecessor by Kenneth Clark. On 7 March CANI began its talks programme for the year with Dr Laura Pfuntner (QUB) speaking on ‘A Roman Holiday in Sicily’. Dr Pfuntner presented the multifaceted approach Rome had towards Sicily. It could be an imperial training ground, a haven for pirates and slave revolts, an Italian workshop, granary and warehouse, or a oncecultured place in need of saving by the mighty Cicero in order to found a thriving tourist industry by the end of the Republic.
CANI 2018
https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=qnGVHKHU8ac
CANI’s 2018 programme kicked off with the aforementioned day-long event with Advocating Classics Education in the Ulster Museum. 23 February saw CANI4Schools return to Dalriada School, Ballymoney, to provide a series of curriculum-supporting talks for A-Level Classical Civilisation students. Dr Peter Crawford, returning to his old school, initiated proceedings with the talk ‘Defeating Goliath: The Persian Wars’. This was followed by talks from Dr John Curran on the Aeneid and Augustan Rome. We would like to thank Dalriada and Mr Bredin for inviting us to speak, as it is this kind of event with so many enthusiastic pupils for which CANI was originally formed, demonstrating that interest in the ancient world is thriving. Mr Bredin provided reassurance that the main brief of CANI4Schools was hit: “The students have commented how useful they found [the lectures] to their modules and several have been talking 8
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Laura Jenkinson on the mystery of Achilles
On 11 April, Laura Jenkinson of Greek Myth Comix presented ‘Teaching Classics via Comics’, tracing the history of sequential art from cave paintings (seeming to move in flickering light) to Roman imperial victory columns. She demonstrated how comics can not only bring more attention to the Classics but also how they can be superb learning and revision tools (as well as great fun!). On 12 May, CANI Film Night III saw the epic Jason and the Argonauts battle their way onto the big screen in the Ulster Museum, complete with an introduction from Dr Katerina Kolotourou. CANI’s 2017/18 events programme will finish on 30 May with a talk by Dr Pamela Zinn (Texas Tech University) on ‘Animals and Vegetarianism in Antiquity’. Peter Crawford