Speaking Engagements
Selected Topics
*“Celtic Calendar Feasts: from Halloween to Groundhog Day”
“Contemporary American Playwrights:” A. R. Gurney, John Guare, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, August Wilson, Edward Albee, Terence McNally, Lanford Wilson, John Patrick Shanley, etc. One or selection can be tailored to the occasion, as with British and Irish playwrights.
“Contemporary British Playwrights:” Alan Bennett, Harold Pinter, Ronald Harwood, Michael Frayn, David Hare, Mike Leigh, Rona Munro.
“Contemporary Irish Playwrights:” Brian Friel, Frank McGuinness, Conor McPherson, Martin McDonagh, Marina Carr, Tom Murphy
“Culloden: Story of the Last Land Battle Fought in the British Isles”
*“Halloween: Origins and Controversy”
“Irish Cinema,” with general videos; also with selections of hundreds of rare feature films
*“Irish Heroic Literature: Cúchulainn, Fionn and Deirdre”
Public Appearances
A teacher of public speaking with broadcast experience, James MacKillop has been in demand at lecterns for three decades. At first he was listed in the Speakers’ Bureau at Onondaga Community College as a service to organizations like the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs. That led, along with his publications, to professional invitations in four countries.
“Northern Ireland: How It Happened”
“Saint Andrew’s Day and Scottish Celebrations”
“The Quiet Man Speaks,” with video
“Seamus Heaney, the Soft-Spoken Nobel Laureate”
*“Strong Celtic Women” (most popular topic)
Robert Burns: “The Immortal Memory,” “Address to the Haggis” (in dialect)
“Theater Scene: a) London, b) New York, c) Canadian Festivals, d) Dublin
*Why Do the Irish Have Red Hair?”
“Why People Hate Critics?”
Additional presentations may be tailored to a group’s needs, such as Italian-Irish relations for the Daughters of Columbus, etc.
*These four are often tied in with the books Dictionary of Celtic Mythology (Oxford) and Myths and Legends of the Celts (Penguin)
Professional speaking appearances (selected)
Cattaraugus Genealogical Society, Salamanca, New York
CinéGael Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
East Yaphank Civic Association, East Yaphank, New York
Gaelic & Historical Society, Mabou, Nova Scotia
Gifford Lecture Series, Syracuse, New York: Introducing Frank McCourt
Institute for Retired Professionals, Syracuse, New York
Irish American Cultural Institute, Syracuse, New York
Irish American Cultural Institute, Wayne, Michigan
LeMoyne College, Syracuse, New York
Modern Language Association, Houston, Texas
Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York
Montauk Public Library, Montauk, New York
National Council of Teachers of English, Detroit, Michigan
Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Onondaga County Public Library, Syracuse, New York
Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Saint Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Society for Cinema Studies, National Convention, Syracuse, New York
SUNY at Cortland, New York: Gilbert Cahill Memorial Lecture
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York: Mary Marshall Memorial Address
Université de Lille, Lille, France
Université de Rennes, d’Haute Bretagne, Rennes, France
University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
Wednesday Morning Club, Rome, New York.
Responses
“Delicious . . . a delicious presentation!”
Proinsias MacCana, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
“The depth of your knowledge served with the lightness of your delivery has given us exactly the kind of speaker we wanted to bring to Montreal.”
Patrick Vallely, CinéGael Montreal
“I am extremely grateful for the success of your informative, articulate, vibrant and thorough discussion. Of all our speakers this season, you were the best.” Carolyn Balducci, Montauk Public Library
“The club members were very impressed with your presentation and the great ease of your delivery. Your knowledge of the subject matter is quite impressive.” Donna Schonewetter, Wednesday Morning Club, Rome, New York