Artwork objector to give talk in Athlone this evening
Athlone native Professor Ralph Kenna, an outspoken critic of the 'Mask of the Shannon' public artwork which is due to go on permanent display on Church Street, will deliver a lecture about 'cultural misappropriation' this evening (Wednesday).
The event, which has been organised by the Old Athlone Society, will be held in the Sheraton Hotel at 8.15pm, and all are welcome to attend.
Professor Kenna, who lives in England and works in Coventry University, will speak about his his research into the misappropriation of aspects of Irish history and culture, beginning with an extraordinary tale of a literary hoax that spread throughout the world.
His talk is entitled: ‘From the epic poems of Ossian to Athlone’s new statue: over 250 years of cultural misappropriation'.
Professor Kenna has written open letters, published in the Westmeath Independent, outlining his reasons for objecting to the planned artwork.
He said the proposed sculpture "claims a vacuous male god to represent our river, while in Irish mythology the river is female."
As a result, he argued, the project "represents misappropriation of Athlone’s and Ireland’s heritage, an affront to Mná na hÉireann and to people who value parity."
He said that during his talk this evening, attendees will be introduced to "our goddess Sionann, and learn how her story provides a warning of the perils of knowledge incorrectly handled."
Professor Kenna was born and raised in Athlone, son of Pat and Irene (of the Arden Bar and St Brigid’s Terrace). He was educated in the Marist College and then Trinity College Dublin, after which he obtained a PhD from the Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria, in 1993.
After posts in the University of Liverpool and Trinity College, he settled in Coventry, where he established, and now leads, one of the UK’s strongest statistical physics groups. He has been a visiting scientist at universities in Armenia, France, Germany, Spain and Ukraine.
His pioneering mathematical investigations into mythological narratives led to Fellowship of the Institute of Mathematics and membership of other acclaimed bodies, such as the Institute of Physics and the International Association for Comparative Mythology.
He has authored over 100 academic papers and his book, Maths meets Myths, instigated a series called 'Simulating the Past'. In October 2019, he will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.