Change to programme of public events – COVID-19

Posted: Tuesday Mar 17, 2020

Dear Friends of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies,

We are very grateful for your support and attendance at our public events. The numbers attending our talks have recently reached unprecedented levels, which is highly encouraging for everyone at the Centre.

However, in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic, we have taken the very difficult decision to cancel or at the very least postpone our current programme of public events. We are confident that this is the most responsible action we can take to help reduce the spread of the virus.

‘Luck of the Irish’ lecture series suspended for three months

We have currently suspended our ‘Luck of the Irish’ lecture series for three months. The talks due to take place at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in April, May and June will not now take place. We will assess the situation again before July’s talk and hope to re-schedule these talks later in the year or possibly early next year.

Irish and Scottish Film Nights series cancelled for the remainder of this semester

We have also cancelled the remainder of this semester’s film screenings in our Irish and Scottish Film Nights series. We hope to show these films at a later date.

This year's Celtic Noir crime writing festival cancelled

We have also taken the decision to cancel this year’s Celtic Noir crime writing festival, which was due to take place on 10-11 October in the Dunedin City Library. The ongoing uncertainty as to how long the pandemic may last, coupled with the distance and logistics involved in bringing international writers halfway across the world, meant that we had to take this decision sooner rather than later. Celtic Noir will be back stronger and better than ever at some point in the future.

As Dr Michael Ryan, the (Irish) Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s Emergencies Programme, has advised: ‘Be fast, have no regrets. You must be the first mover; the greatest error is not to move’. We have decided to follow Dr Ryan’s advice and move quickly to ensure the health and safety of our friends and supporters.

We look forward to seeing you all again in the near future. We promise an exciting return to our CISS events when the time is right.

Look after yourselves,

Sonja and Liam