13th International George Moore Conference

May 5th - 7th, All day

Mayo

George Moore:  Landscape and Memory

The 13th International George Moore Conference will engage with the man and his writings, with particular focus on the influence of landscape and memory in his literature, and especially on the persistent influence of his Mayo roots and origin.

George Moore: Landscape and Memory

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” 

George Moore, The Brook Kerith, (1916), ch. 11.

The writings of George Moore have continued to inspire scholars over more than a century. Moore’s very varied oeuvre comprises poetry and short story collections, novels, plays, art criticism and memoirs and this wonderful literary legacy has instigated a series of international conferences.  Such gatherings have added considerably to enthusiasm for the study of Moore’s works both at home and in many corners of the globe. The 13^th International George Moore Conference will engage with the man and his writings, with particular focus on the influence of landscape and memory in his literature, and especially on the persistent influence of his Mayo roots and origin. When directly mirroring recognisable landscape, or transposing experience and recollection into fictional characterisation, Moore’s depictions also reflect the reality of 19^th century history in church, state and family, and provide insight into the attitudes and conflicts of the period. Moreover, the texts are inevitably inflected by his experience of life in France, England and Gaelic Revival Dublin.

This 13^th conference is particularly important as, in Moore’s native county, it seeks to analyse Moorian heritage and ancestry. Mayo today embraces  the memory of George Moore, cherishes the site of his family home, and seeks to protect the environment at his birthplace.  The conference schedule  will include a visit to Moore Hall. With ultimate serendipity, the occasion coincides with ‘Mayo Day’, a vibrant and weeklong event that celebrates all things Mayo, and there will be several cultural fringe events available to the visiting delegates.

An important keynote address will be delivered by a most eminent Moore scholar. Further details concerning the conference will be published later.

Proposals for papers, or panels, are invited and topics could include but are not limited to:

• Memories of the Moore family and estate
• The significance of the Irish Literary Revival for Moore’s art
• Role in the construction of Irish literary identity
• Depiction of landscape in the writings of George Moore
• Tracing the Big House and Authority
• Portrayal of classes
• The relevance of art and its international influences
• Realism, Naturalism or Modernism in Moore’s works
• The centrality of Folk memory
• History and nostalgia in the writings of George Moore
• Moore and Anglo-Irish Gothic
• Engaging with Religions and churches
• Moore and the power of drama
• Biography, autobiography and the real Moore

Quotations to ponder

“Life is beautiful at the moment, sad when we look back, fearful when we look forward” (16 April)

“It is difficult for anyone to say why he loves his country, for what is a country but a geographical entity?” (18 November)

“We find stories in the lives of the foolish and the weak and  the improvident.” (16 January)

[These quotations from George Moore were chosen by his secretary Margaret Gough and published in the George Moore Calendar (London: Frank Palmer 1912).]

Abstracts:

Abstracts (200 words) for papers proposed (20 minutes maximum delivery time) should be accompanied by a short biographical note (100 words), plus full address and institutional affiliation. Please send abstracts to Fiona White:

Fiona.white@atu.ie

Closing Date: December 31^st 2025.