01/05/2026
JOIN US FOR OUR UPCOMING PRESENTATION
As part of our monthly virtual series, we are pleased to present the following. To sign up for these programs, please e-mail: [email protected]
Wednesday, January 28th, 5pm ET
THE IRISH FAMINE AND THE MOTHERS OF AUSTRALIA - Presented by Irish-Born Novelist, Patricia Falvey
The true story of how 4,000 female Irish Famine orphans sent to Australia under the Earl Grey scheme between 1848 and 1850 survived to become known as the “Mothers of Australia”. She will also read short excerpts from her novel ‘The Famine Orphans’. Her talk will cover the following events:
The Irish Famine of 1845-52 and its effects on the Irish population
Irish Workhouses – how the Famine produced many orphans who swelled workhouse numbers and led to severe overcr
The Earl Grey Scheme – The proposed solution to workhouse overcrowding; was it salvation or exile?
The Voyage to Australia- the grueling almost 4-month journey on wooden sailing ships from Ireland to Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Early welcome replaced by Discrimination, anti-Irish, anti-Catholic sentiment – angry clerics and exploitive news editors
From Indenture to beyond: From domestic servants to marriage and motherhood; from Outback farmers to Goldfields prospectors, from misfortune to resilience to survival.
Lasting Legacy: Hyde Park Memorial, Sydney; dedicated in 2005 in recognition of contributions of the famine orphans to Australian Society. Attended by Irish President Mary McAleese and Australian Prime Minister John Howard; and descendants of the orphans.
Patricia Falvey is an Irish-born writer from Newry, County Down, living in Dallas, Texas. She is the author of 5 novels of historical fiction, all with an Irish connection. Her latest book is The Famine Orphans (Kensington Books, 2025).
Patricia immigrated to the US alone at age 20 and ultimately rose to a Managing Director for a major financial firm. In 2008 she left that career to pursue her dream of being an author.
Patricia is a licensed CPA and earned a BSBA from Suffolk University in Boston and an MS Taxation from University of Hartford. For more see: https://www.patriciafalveybooks.com
Wednesday, February 4th, 5pm ET
Helen Ho**er O'Malley, International Arts, 1905-1993 - Presented by Cormac K H O'Malley, son of Helen Ho**er O'Malley
Helen O'Malley was an American artist who, after moving to Ireland and marrying militant nationalist and author Ernie O'Malley in 1935 became an ardent artist participating in many segments of the arts in Ireland. She was a painter, sculptor, photographer, theater stage set designer, costume designer, art collector, and interior designer. She lived in Ireland from 1935 to 1948, and after 1960 split her time living in Mayo, Dublin and New York. The Institute's Helen O'Malley Art Collection has been on loan to the University of Limerick since 2004, and before then part of it was on loan to the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Cormac K H O'Malley was born in Ireland, the son of the American artist Helen Ho**er O'Malley and the Irish militant nationalist and author Ernie O'Malley. After Harvard, the US Navy, and Columbia Law School, Cormac practiced law on Wall Street for ten years and international corporate law and consulting for thirty years while living in Mexico City, Brussels, London, and New York. From his college days, he had an interest in art and Irish history. Since his retirement, Cormac has worked to preserve his mother's artistic and cultural heritage by facilitating exhibits of her art collection, her own sculpture, photography, paintings, design, and theatre stage sets in the USA and Ireland, and by encouraging institutions to publish extensive catalogs about her works. This year, two major exhibits were held at the University of Rochester and the University of Limerick. Cormac has also produced two documentary films about her works, 'A Call to Arts' (2020) and 'Camera and Clay', which have been shown on Connecticut PTV and RTE. Cormac has also published his father's memoirs, diaries, essays, and, most recently, his folklore as 'The Enchanted Bay: Tales and Legends from Ernie O'Malley's Irish Folklore Collection'. Cormac lives in Stonington, Connecticut.
Wednesday, February 18th, 5pm ET
The Legacy of Joseph Poole - Presented Charline Fernandez & Oisin Finegan
This presentation will explore the life of a largely forgotten Irish revolutionary, Joseph Poole, and how his story highlights the human dimension of political resistance. Through selected clips from the short documentary The Legacy of Joseph Poole, we will examine his role within late-nineteenth-century Irish revolutionary movements and discuss how his legacy continues to resonate with contemporary audiences.
Filmed on the campus of Griffith College Dublin, The Legacy of Joseph Poole delves into the life of a young man who became a key figure in the Irish struggle for independence. Through interviews with descendants and archival footage, this short documentary traces his involvement with the Fenians in the 1880s. Despite decades of tragedy and betrayal, Poole's legacy remains a testament to his unwavering fight for freedom.
Charline Fernandez is a French filmmaker who has lived in Ireland for eight years. Her work focuses on rehabilitating microhistories through intergenerational memory transmission, a theme she explored in her previous documentary, Maria. In her current project, she seeks to uncover the forgotten story of Joseph Poole, whose sacrifice helped shape Ireland’s path to independence. Oisín is an Irish amateur filmmaker and photographer who studied in the very buildings where Joseph Poole was held captive. While studying Film & TV at Griffith College and previously working on the marketing team, Oisín became increasingly curious about the mysteries surrounding the campus and its history.
