Irish Lectures

In 2025, the Benevolent Irish Society of PEI (BIS) will celebrate its 200th anniversary, highlighting its Annual Lecture series. Since 1987, the BIS has hosted lectures on Irish culture, history, and heritage. Distinguished speakers such as Dr. Brendan O’Grady, Leo Campbell, Dr. Padraig O’Siadhail, Dr. Colman O’Hare, and Michael Hennessey have provided valuable insights into the Island’s Irish community and the broader Celtic world.

While lectures have been held at the BIS for many years, the first formal Irish Lecture Series was introduced in 1987, with the intention of making it a regular part of the Society’s activities. Some topics covered over the years include: The Ancient Celts; Images of Medieval Ireland; and The Irish on PEI. The series was occasionally held in Kinkora, but primarily in Charlottetown at the Edward Whelan Irish Cultural Centre (582 North River Road), which is also home to the BIS.

From 2022–2024, the BIS, in collaboration with UPEI’s Robertson Library and the Embassy of Ireland, annotated recordings of the 62 historical lectures on file. UPEI’s librarian Keltie McPhail and Archivist Simon Lloyd, along with BIS volunteers Mary Ellen Callaghan, Clare Martin, and BIS summer student Edward Wang, worked on this project. Today, the project is complete and available at islandvoices.ca, under the BIS section.

The oldest annotated recording is “Famous Irish Churchmen from PEI” by Reverend James Kelly, given on April 28, 1988. The most recent is “Katherine Hughes” by Dr. Padraig O’Siadhail, given in 2011.