CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND
November 2017
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Classical Youth Society of Ireland The Classical Youth Society of Ireland was founded in 2014 with the goal of popularising Classical Studies among secondary school students. It intends to allow students the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the ancient world, while simultaneously allowing those not given the opportunity to study Classics in school a chance of engaging with it. To begin with, our outreach projects were limited, with talks hosted in rented space in coffee shops. As interest in the Society grew, we were kindly offered use of the Classics Seminar room in Trinity College Dublin. Our weekend seminars have been wide-ranging, with such topics as ‘Latin love poetry and counter culture’, ‘Piracy in the Graeco-Roman world’, and ‘Alcibiades in the Roman world’. The next seminar will be after Christmas, when Phoebe Nolan will speak about ‘Beekeeping in the Ancient World’. In 2015 our focus broadened to include the advancement of Latin and ancient Greek. On foot of our efforts, we were lucky enough to be invited to host a segment on RTÉ radio 1 and to visit the Classics department in Oxford University. Furthermore, at the end of 2015, we began CYSI’s most successful initiative – our podcasts. Conversing the Classics aims to bring academic research on the ancient world to a wider audience. Each episode is recorded in an interview format, aimed at introducing an academic’s area of focus. Series one featured a broad range of topics, with contributions by Philip de Souza, Christine Morris, Charlie Kerrigan, and Brian McGing, to name but a few. With the podcasts receiving positive feedback, we decided a second series was in order. We were fortunate to receive funding from the Classical Association of Ireland. Series two was filmed over a two-week period with academics all over the UK. It featured a multitude of Classicists, including Paul Cartledge, Gideon Nesbit, John Prag, and Robert Parker. The series is currently in postproduction and we are aiming for a launch in late February. All available episodes can be found on our YouTube channel (please see links in the box at right). In my time as Chairperson of the Society, I have been privileged to collaborate with a multitude of dedicated Classicists, young and old. Special thanks go to the rest of the Committee: vice chair Chris Joyce; secretary Michael Mac Nulty; and podcast editor Michael Fuller. Further thanks must be extended to the Classical Association of Ireland, for funding series two of Conversing the Classics; Dr Christine Morris, for organising a space for us to host events; and Delia Donohoe, for all her help and support. Oscar McHale 8
the CYSI YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com /channel/UC8WSPJ0uPrq VNp16xDKsUg?view_as=subscriber
Conversing the Classics: Athens
Conversing the Classics: Catullus
Conversing the Classics: Flames in the Forum
Conversing the Classics: Meet the Minoans!
For more information on the Classical Youth Society of Ireland, please see our social media pages: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cl assicalYouthSocietyIreland/ Twitter: @CYSI_ E-mail: CYSIofficial@gmail.com