Heinrich Böll Weekend in Achill

The Church of Ireland Notes in The Irish Times and on the Church of Ireland website this morning [4 May 2013] opens with the following news:

Heinrich Böll Weekend in Achill

The ninth Annual Heinrich Böll Memorial Weekend takes place on Achill Island, Co Mayo this weekend, and the venues include two Church of Ireland churches associated with the 19th century Achill Mission of Canon Edward Nangle – St Thomas’s, Dugort, and Holy Trinity Church on the smaller island of Inishbiggle.

This year’s programme focuses on the work of American painter Robert Henri and the Achill–born poet, John F Deane, marking his 70th birthday. This evening (Saturday), Maurice Harmon will speak in St Thomas’s Church, Dugort, on ‘Lonesome, between times – the Poetry of John F. Deane.’ This will be followed by a reading by John F. Deane.

Tomorrow morning (Sunday), after a guided walk on Inishbiggle, Canon Patrick Comerford of the Church of Ireland Theological Institute will give a lecture at 11 a.m. in Holy Trinity church, on ‘The history of the Church of Ireland on Inishbiggle’. In the afternoon, at 4 p.m., Canon Comerford will speak in Bunacurry School on Achill Island on ‘The poet as theologian, the theologian as poet … a theologian’s engagement with John F. Deane.’ This will be followed by poetry readings by Maurice Harmon, Harry Clifton, Gerard Smyth, James Harpur, Padraig Daly and Jacques Rancourt.