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Czech BooksJohn Banville: claiming Kafka as an Irish writer
A few days ago the Booker Prize winning Irish writer John Banville was in
Prague, to receive one of Europe’s most coveted literary awards, the
Franz Kafka Prize. David Vaughan took the opportunity to talk to the writer
about his work and his fascination with the cultural and literary world of
Central Europe. More
Current AffairsNew school in Prague center to offer Irish dancing classes
A new school devoted solely to Irish dancing will soon open its doors in
Prague. Lessons at Luas, Irish for speed, are due to start next month.
Ahead of the start of the first course, the school’s director, Tereza
Loužecká Bachová, invited all those curious about this dancing style to
try it out themselves. She spoke to us before the sample lesson, about
Irish dancing and why it fascinates her, and when classes will kick off.
More
Czech BooksFrom Finnegan’s Wake to Calisthenics: Czech-Irish relations in the first half of the 20th century
A book entitled “Czech-Irish Cultural Relations 1900-1950” may sound a
little obscure, but this slim volume published last year by the Centre for
Irish Studies of Prague’s Charles University is anything but a dull, dry
thesis. The book covers a hugely interesting and complex period, during
which Ireland emerged from centuries of rule from London and Czechoslovakia
arose from the ashes of the Habsburg Empire. David Vaughan picks up the
story, in this week’s Czech Books.
More
Czech BooksAn Irish classic at home in Prague
When John Millington Synge’s masterpiece The Playboy of the Western World
was first performed in Dublin in 1907, there were riots in protest. The
black comedy with its tale of attempted patricide was seen as going beyond
the limits of decency, and was even accused of putting the Irish nation
into disrepute. Set in an isolated and poor rural community, Synge’s play
relishes the wealth of western Irish dialect, and today is universally
acknowledged as one of the classics of Irish drama. But what does that have
to do with the Czech Republic? In this programme, we tell the fascinating
story of how The Playboy of the Western World also came to be a Czech
classic.
More
Current AffairsMuseum commemorating Johannes Kepler’s stay in Prague opens to public
Over the centuries, Prague has hosted many outstanding scientists from
across Europe – among them the German mathematician and astronomer
Johannes Kepler. Kepler spent a full twelve years of his life in the
Bohemian capital at the beginning of the 17th century and it was here that
he carried out some of the most important observations. This week a new
museum opens to the public in Prague in the actual house where the
astronomer lived 400 years ago.
More
SpecialDanish researchers hope to solve 400-year-old “murder mystery”
Fame, envy, intrigue and murder –that is what some suspect surrounded the
mysterious death of Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer who died in Prague in
1601 as one of the most distinguished scholars of his time. Several
theories exist about the cause of his death, and some experts actually
claim he was given a lethal dose of mercury. A team of Danish experts are
now going to officially ask the Czech authorities for permission to open
his grave in order to analyse his remains.
More
Current AffairsA trip to the eighth Irish dance summer school… in Prague
There was a Scotswoman, an Irish dance school, and a lot of Czechs… Not
heard that one before? Well, for the past eight years, Prague has played
host to a summer school of Irish dance and traditional music. This year,
the course is bigger than ever, attracting over 200 participants from
Europe and America. The programme has proved a hit with the scores of
Czechs to have taken part. On Tuesday, I paid it a visit.
More
Czechs TodayKatka Garcia – Alfons Mucha’s cosmopolitan great-granddaughter
Katka Garcia, as her name suggests, is half Czech and half Spanish, with a
bit of Russian thrown in. In addition to that she sings traditional music
from Ireland and Scotland. She currently lives in Dublin and teaches
Spanish at Trinity College and occasionally comes to Prague to perform with
her fellow musicians. I caught up with her during her last visit.
More
Current AffairsIrish health minister gets St Patrick’s Festival underway in Prague
Monday is the Irish national holiday St Patrick’s Day, but the 11th
Prague St Patrick’s Festival is already underway. The special guest at
Thursday morning’s opening was Ireland’s minister for health, Mary
Harney. I spoke to Minister Harney about Ireland’s pioneering smoking
ban, the country’s cabinet jetting around the world for St Patrick’s
Day – and the impact of foreign workers from the Czech Republic and
elsewhere on the Irish economy in recent years. More
ArtsIrish drama booming in Czech Republic
Many Irish plays have appeared in Czech theatres in the last decade or so,
in what has been something of a boom for Irish drama in the Czech
Republic. The latest is A Skull in Connemara by Martin McDonagh, which
recently received its Czech language premiere at Prague's Svandovo
Divadlo. More
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