International academics toast Tyrone’s literary trickster

Brian O’Nolan, Myles Na Gopaleen, Flann O’Brien – whatever you want to call him, there’s no doubting that the author and journalist is one of Strabane’s most revered sons.

Scholars and lovers of his work arrive in town from all across the globe for the 8th International Flann O’Brien Conference at the Alley Theatre.

Held every two years, the conference is for artists, academics and appreciators of work such as ‘The Third Policeman’, ‘At Swim Two Birds’ and ‘The Hard Life’. People from as far away as Bosnia, New Zealand, America and Canada come together to celebrate Flann’s life’s work, presenting papers covering all aspects of his writings and offering insightful interpretations for a rapt audience. Also in attendance were Oisin and Anna Ui Nuallain, the author’s nephew and sister-in-law who generously donated a painting of Flann, done by Anna’s husband Micheal, to the Alley.

Accompanying the academia was a walking tour of Strabane, film screenings, an exhibition entitled ‘Strange Enlightenments’ featuring work by the local O’Kane family who have connections to Strabane and book launches by Tobias Harris, Niall Montgomery and Michael Kennedy of the Strabane Historical Society.

Professor Maebh Long, current president of the Society and co-director of the Centre of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago, was delighted with the turnout.

She said, “The turnout has been amazing with so many people engaging in the conference and everyone has been so lovely. I would hope that we can bring the conference back to Flann’s hometown in the future. It would be lovely if we could build on the conference and through different initiatives, make Strabane a national hub for all things Flann-related.”

Revealing how she got into his works, Maebh explained, “My mother had a copy of ‘At Swim Two Birds’ which I picked up as a child and, although I was too young to read it, there was something instantly captivating about his works which I kept with me and built upon following my PhD. Flann lends himself to literary analysis so well, so who better to use in my work.

“I’m surprised it’s taken so long to get the conference here (in Strabane), although it is a labour-intensive process. In an ideal world we’d have had it here form the beginning.”

With only a limited amount of work completed by O’Brien, does Maebh think that we’ll eventually run out of things to say about him?

“I don’t believe so. Research breeds research and we never put the full stop on it as people’s relationship with a piece of work changes as the context changes so there’ll always be something new to say.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Professor Brian O Conchubhair Professor of Irish at Notre Dame University and conference organiser.

“In my opinion, there’s Joyce, Beckett and then Flann. Flann is going through a revival at the moment through ‘Lost’, stamps and Google. He is open territory through different literary theories and different perspectives. We’re 20-30 years from Flann being ‘played out’; we still haven’t figured out how to ‘explain’ Cruiskeen Lawn. In sheer physical size of is works, there’s still so much ‘Flann’ to get through.

“Everyone at the Alley and Strabane in general have been wonderful and you can’t understand Flann without understanding his relationship with Strabane.”

Louise Boyce, venue manager at the Alley Theatre, called it a ‘tremendous honour’ to host the conference, saying, “The warmth, creativity, and community spirit that flowed through Strabane this week was so special to witness, absolutely remarkable. I’ve been proud to be part of showcasing our town’s vibrant culture and generosity to an international audience as manager of The Alley Theatre. Many local businesses were instructmental in the success of the conference, which included accommodation, evening entertainment, restaurants, local crafters, artists, musicians, and historians.

“Special thanks are also due to the O’Nuallán and O’Kane families for their remarkable contributions to the conference… and also for donating ‘Brian at Work; a striking portrait of Flann O’Brien to The Alley Theatre.

“Finally, our heartfelt appreciation goes to Studio1 Craft Collective, for their handcrafted pieces celebrating Flann O’Brien.

“This unforgettable week has reaffirmed Strabane’s place on the international cultural map; we look forward to building on this success in the years to come.”