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Folk Life Jan 07 Forthcoming conferences The SIEF (Société Internationale d’Ethnologie et de Folkore) Congress will be held in Ulster 16th – 20th Number 22 February 2007 June 2008. Following considerable investment by NEWSLETTER the University of Ulster in ethnology and folklore, innovation in Wales including a Chair in Ethnology and Folk Life, the during the last three invitation to hold its congress at the University was centuries from a human accepted by the SIEF. For further details please perspective and uses much refer to their website www.meertens.knaw.nl/sief/ interactive new media to interpret a wide variety of _________________________________________ collections. The themes of the Take a look at your Society’s website conference will be www.folklifestudies.org.uk Humanising Industrial History andInternational The contents of all issues ofFolk Life are listed as Trade and Local Identity. well as core information about the Society, Offers of papers and other including a membership form along with notices of contributions are very Society meetings and conferences and the text of the welcome. Please contact Newsletter. The site is also available for members to the Conference Secretary post relevant information. Please send text as e-mail for further information Steph Mastoris, National attachments to the website officer The historic wing of the National Waterfront Waterfront Museum,Oystermouth Road, Maritime Museum, Swansea, occupying a dockside Quarter, Swansea, SA1 3RD (email: [email protected] warehouse of 1902. [email protected]). A booking form is enclosed. Please note anon We are putting together an email database. If would refundable£50 deposit must be received by31st you like your details to be added to this please The Annual Conference for 2007: Mayin order to secure a place. contact Seb Littlewood, Membership Secretary, at 13TH – 16TH September [email protected] Swansea Afreeplace at the 2007 conference ____________________________________________ Contributions/comments should be forwarded to If you are a student in full time education and would th th newsletter editor ([email protected]) Between Thursday 13 and Sunday 16 September like to apply for this free place to attend the 2007 the Society will hold its annual conference in _________________________________________________ conference please contact Dr. Eddie Cass for further Swansea, Wales, based at the new National details. Email:[email protected] Waterfront Museum in the city’s historic maritime quarter. Accommodation will be in the nearby Printed & published by the Society for Folk Life Swansea Marriott Hotel. It is hoped that the overall Studies, January 2007. All opinions expressed are cost of the conference will be in the region of £300 Report by Eimear Ballard, student those of the contributors and do not represent the in a shared room. placement in 2006. policies or views of the Society. The National Waterfront Museum is the result of a In 2006, I was honoured to be selected by the £34m partnership between Amgueddfa Cymru- Society for Folk Life Studies as the Student National Museum Wales and the City & County of Delegate to the annual conference, which was held Printed on 80% Recycled Paper Swansea. It tells the story of industry and in Skipton, in the Yorkshire Dales. Every year, the 20 1 Newsletter of the Society for Folk Life Studies Newsletter of the Society for Folk Life Studies Society offers a free conference place to a student in The Annual Conference 2006: Bergen, where he contributed to the establishment Alan Pearsall1925 – 2006 fulltime education, and this covers all of a discipline with focus on contemporary Known to many members Alan was a keen and accommodation and meals in addition to excursions Skipton, North Yorkshire processes and traditions. From1991 to 1997 he was hugely knowledgeable historian who frequently and full participation in a fascinating meeting. I director of the Nordic Institute of Folklore in Turku, Reviews of Conference Papers gave a members’ papers at the Annual Conference. took advantage of the opportunity to present a paper Finland, a position where he displayed both his on my current research topic, Representations of the administrative and scientific competences. Many of He was brought up in Leeds, but also had Redneck in American cinema, although it is not us also remember with gratitude the hospitality of connections with the North Lancashire coast, where compulsory for student delegates to read a formal Reimund and his wife Karin during these years in he maintained a family house. paper at the meeting. However, as this topic, on Finland. which I am preparing a PhD thesis in the Much of Alan’s working life, indeed 35 years of it, Department of Film and Television Studies at His scholarly publications cover several fields: was spent in the service of the Library at the Warwick University, relates to both folklife and to narrative and singing tradition with a focus on the National Maritime Museum, first as custodian of folklore, I was keen to take an opportunity to transmission of folk stories and songs; fairy tales, manuscripts and later as the museum’s historian. discuss it with experts in these subjects. I was legends and songs, with a focus on text analysis; He was a kind of maritime history polymath, and warmly welcomed to the conference, and enjoyed children’s lore in contexts of practice, and religious there are many scholars who will be grateful for the every aspect of it, so I would certainly encourage memories within a context of popular religion. willing way in which he shared his knowledge and other students to take the opportunity to apply to encouraged them when they were young. His Reimund Kvideland was also a research attend future conferences. Thanks very much to the curious mind was into everything, but maybe his administrator. He was the first chairman of NEFA Society for including me in the 2006 meeting. keenest interest was in the mercantile marine, the – the Nordic ethnological and folkloristic working ships both sail and steam, the companies that ran Eimear Ballard group, an important forum for those who wanted to them, and the life and times of the sailormen ___________________________________________ rejuvenate ethnology and folklore since the late themselves. He drew little distinction between work 1960s. In 1971 he startedTradisjon, a scientific and other interests. But the other interests included journal of modern Norwegian folklore, where he railways. His member’s contributions at The 2008 Conference: Killarney, Co. The opening of the 2006 conference began with remained the editor for 25 years. He was elected conferences often included fascinating accounts of president (1989-95) of the International Society for Kerry. delegates and speakers receiving a warm welcome local lines long since closed, but which he had from the President Roy Brigden. After a brief Folk Narrative Research, and he was president of travelled in the past, one memorable one being his The 2008 conference will be based in Killarney, Co presentation our first speaker, Robert White, was SIEF from 1987 to 1990. During many years he was talk on the Edinburgh-Carlisle Waverley line and Kerry, and will run from 18th-21st September 2008. welcomed to the floor to give us an‘Introduction to a contributor toInternationale volkskundliche some of the locomotive names at the Melrose Our local hosts will be the Trustees of Muckross the Historic Environment of the Yorkshire Dales Bibliographie. gathering in 2005. House (Killarney) Ltd. (http://www.muckross- National Park’ His profile was that of an international researcher Alan is acknowledged in literally hundreds of books house.ie). Muckross has a spectacular setting in As its Senior Conservation Archaeologist, Robert for his helpful advice and guidance. He was an Killarney National Park – 25,000 acresclose to the and administrator, his contacts all over the world White knows practically every inch of the Dales active member on the council for the Navy Records most westerly point of Europe - and is one of were numerous, and his generosity towards other Society for many years and was their vice-president Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions. As well as National Park and its record of human activity. The scholars was well known among his colleagues. I in the 1980s. Additionally he was a founder member the Victorian mansion and gardens, Muckross earliest evidence of this is to be found inside the still remember with gratitude the enthusiasm with of our Society. Traditional Farms re-creates life and work on the cave systems that riddle the limestone bedrock and which he received my first and very, very modest land as it was in the 1930s. The programme will goes back at least 12,000 years. Above ground, text – a book review – for his journalTradisjon, a Alan was a man of quiet charm, and his actions were include an excursion around the world famous 5,000 years of occupation can be traced through a prime example of how to encourage younger graced by an old-world courtesy and an intelligent Lakes of Killarney (http://homepage.eircom.net/ succession of features from ancient rock art to colleagues. This memory blends with later debates sense of fun. Latterly he found it difficult to walk ~knp/intro/index.htm) which form a major part of Romano-British field systems, medieval stone walls and pleasant talks, as well as with hospitality and any distance, but this made no difference to his the National Park, talks on local themes, and no and Victorian lead works. The National park was merry evenings. Reimund was not only a respected adventurous determination to get around. This doubt plenty of that unique Irish hospitality! designated in 1954 and is tasked with not only scholar, but also a colleague in the best sense of the interest in life must be one factor in the impressive conserving the beauty, wildlife and heritage of the word.
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