The 2021 American Conference for Irish Studies (Western Region) will be hosted by the University of Colorado – Denver from September 23-26, 2021. The theme of the conference is Labor, Immigration, and Class. As we mark 100 years since the Government of Ireland Act and the Partition of the island, we are also witnessing the effects of Brexit on economics, borders, communal memory, and mobility. Our global community is also experiencing a rising consciousness around race, identity, and colonization.
Conference events will culminate with a pilgrimage to Leadville on Sunday to see the construction of a memorial dedicated to approximately 1,000 Irish immigrants buried in unmarked graves in the pauper section of the town cemetery. Keynote and plenary sessions will include a panel discussing the construction of Leadville’s Irish immigrant memorial and a keynote address by Helen Thorpe.
Members of the Denver community may attend special events at a reduced rate per event. Some of the in person events include:
- ACIS Opening Reception – Molly Brown House – Sept. 23th – 6pm ($20)
- Keynote Address by Helen Thorpe – Casa Mayan — Sept. 24th – 6pm ($20)
- ACIS Banquet – Regis University – Sept. 25th – 6pm ($60)
- Bus trip from Auraria to Leadville – Sept. 26th – 7.30am – ($30)
***The bus will leave the conference hotel (Springhill Suites by Marriott on Auraria campus in Downtown Denver) at 7:30 am on Sunday, Sept. 26th and will return to the hotel by 5:00 pm that day.
- Leadville Celebration & Reception – Sept. 26 – 10am – ($20)
There are numerous Zoom events that people can view over the 3 days.
Community members can register for the bus, or the banquet, or any other conference events at this website.