Marking WBY’s 100th wedding anniversary, “Georgie’s Vision” features at International Yeats Society Conference 2017, in NYC

I recently made an audio-visual version of my BAI-funded radio documentary “Georgie’s Vision”, (first broadcast on RTE Lyric FM, September 30th, 2016), which premiered last weekend at the 2017 International Yeats Society Conference in NYC, to mark the centenary anniversary of WB & George’s October 2017 marriage.

International Yeats Society Cake for Willy & George 100th Wedding Anniversary. Photo by Anne Margaret Daniel

Conference participants who came from far and wide (eg: Korea, Japan, Brazil, Limerick, Liverpool, Lodz, and Norway) were sent a link to the audio version of “Georgie’s Vision” (the first ever documentary on the extraordinary Mrs. WBY), in advance of the conference. The new audio-visual version was played on a loop at the New School, 66 West 12th Street, on Saturday, October 21st.

The New School, 66 5th Avenue, NYC

Then at 3.45pm over in the New School’s impressive Kellen Auditorium, 66 5th Avenue, Rob Doggett (State University New York), kindly hosted a very lively conversation about “Georgie’s Vision”, with myself. It was simultaneously an immense honour, and quite daunting to share my documentary with a room full of the world’s greatest experts on George and WB Yeats!  I am very grateful to James Pethica (who organised this conference) and the International Yeats Society for the opportunity to do so. Here are some images from the event, taken by fellow participants Charles Ivan Armstrong (Norway), and Youngmin Kim (Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea), and myself.

Rob Doggett (SUNY) introduces “Georgie’s Vision” discussion at The New School, NYC. Photo: Youngmin Kim.

International Audience of Yeats Experts consider “Georgie’s Vision” at the International Yeats Society Conference, 2017, in the Kellen Auditorium, The New School (66 5th Avenue).

Conversation on “Georgie’s Vision” hosted by Rob Doggett (SUNY) at the New School’s Kellen Auditorium.

Walking east towards the New School to talk about “Georgie’s Vision” at International Yeats Society Conference, 2017.

It was a fantastic, most inspiring and thought-provoking conference – congrats to everyone involved.

Like William Blake, we delighted in good company at the International Yeats Society Conference 2017, in NYC.

WB Yeats at the National Arts Club in 1923, pictured with John McCormack, Oliver Saint John Gogarty & Henry Harty.

The world’s greatest Yeats experts gather to discuss “Georgie’s Vision” in the Kellen Auditorium at the New School.

New York City (Central Park): The Backdrop to the IYS 2017 Conference

Reading Yeats’s Poetry over breakfast at The Jane Hotel, the quirky and aptly atmospheric location where many IYS conference participants stayed.

The Jane Hotel, a quirky and atmospheric place to stay for contemporary Yeatsians 🙂

“Georgie’s Vision”: About the show

 We all know about Maud Gonne, but have you ever heard of George, aka Mrs. WB Yeats? In September 1917, Yeats proposed to 25-year-old Georgie Hyde-Lees and they were married in October of that year. In this programme we learn more about this extraordinary but self-effacing woman who was the catalyst for her husband’s greatest poetry, yet said “thank-you for leaving me out”. Contributors include Professor Margaret Mills Harper, official biographer, Ann Saddlemyer, grand-daughter Caitriona Yeats, Benedictine Monk Mark Patrick Hederman, poet John Montague, Olwen Fouere and Pat Laffan.

Readers : Olwen Fouere (George’s voices), Pat Laffan as WB Yeats; Ingrid Craigie, David Heap, Victoria Mary Clarke

Narrator: Deirdre Mulrooney

Produced, written, researched & directed by Deirdre Mulrooney

Sound Supervision : Brendan Rehill

A Deirdre Mulrooney production made with the support of BAI Sound and Vision Scheme.

First broadcast on RTE Lyric FM on September 30th, 2016