Leo Varadkar, former Taoiseach of Ireland (2017-2020, 2022-24) and current member of parliament in Dáil Eireann, will join the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies for a public discussion of Irish current affairs, including public health initiatives, civic life, and the political future of the island of Ireland. Varadkar will be in conversation with Colin Barr, professor of modern Irish history and director of the Clingen Family Center for Study of Modern Ireland. About the Speaker Leo Varadkar was Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 2017-2020 and again from 2022-24. He served in cabinet for 13 years in the Ministries of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Enterprise, Trade, Employment, and Social Protection and Health. He is currently Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency and a member of Ireland's Council of State. Varadkar helped guide Ireland through the Pandemic with public health and economic responses that were internationally recognized for their efficacy. He led Ireland through Brexit, preventing a hard border between North and South, upholding the Good Friday Agreement, and maintaining Ireland's place at the heart of the European Union and its single market. A strong supporter of Irish unification, Varadkar allocated over €1 billion to North-South projects under the Shared Island Fund and helped to get the power-sharing institutions of the Good Friday Agreement operating again. As Taoiseach, Varadkar established a Child Poverty and Well-being Programme, early results of which include the introduction of free school books, hot school meals, and lower childcare fees for working parents. Varadkar also doubled spending on the arts, culture, and sport as well as significantly enhanced workers’ rights. His government introduced paid parental leave and statutory sick pay and made major progress towards a living wage and occupational pensions for workers. During Varadkar’s premiership, greenhouse gas emissions reached a 30-year low on foot of a new climate law, which included major investment in renewable energy production as well as a carbon tax with revenues ring-fenced for climate initiatives like subsidized home retrofits and greener farming. At the time of Varadkar leaving office, Ireland had record levels of employment and a budget surplus that allowed for increased investment in public infrastructure, such as new public housing, schools, and healthcare facilities. Varadkar is a medical doctor and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin. He lives with his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett in Dublin. Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

Javier Zamora is a Salvadoran poet and activist. In his debut New York Times bestselling memoir, Solito, Javier retells his nine-week odyssey across Guatemala, Mexico, and eventually through the Sonoran Desert. Zamora was a 2018-2019 Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University and holds fellowships from CantoMundo, Colgate University (Olive B. O’Connor), MacDowell, Macondo, the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation (Ruth Lilly), Stanford University (Stegner), and Yaddo. He is the recipient of a 2017 Lannan Literary Fellowship, the 2017 Narrative Prize, and the 2016 Barnes & Noble Writer for Writers Award for his work in the Undocupoets Campaign. Co-sponsors: Creative Writing Program, Department of American Studies, Institute for Latino Studies -- Join the Center for Social Concerns on Friday afternoons of home football weekends for MVP Fridays: lectures by national leaders, journalists, and writers on questions of meaning, values, and purpose.Learn more

Join the Liturgical Choir of the Notre Dame Children's Choir the second and third Mondays of the month in-person or online for a prayerful Vespers service.  https://youtube.com/live/b2NY2EKdSio?feature=shareNotre Dame Children's Liturgical ChoirOriginally published at sma.nd.edu.

Join the Klau Institute and NDVotes for this installment of "Pizza, Pop, and Politics" as Professor of Law Derek Muller discusses voting rights and election administration. Originally published at klau.nd.edu.

Michael C. Davis, a former professor at the University of Hong Kong, will discuss his recent publication, "Freedom Undone: The Assault on Liberal Values and Institutions in Hong Kong" (Columbia University Press, 2024). Liu faculty fellow Victoria Hui, associate professor of politics, will serve as a discussant and Michel Hockx, professor of Chinese literature and director of the Liu Institute, will moderate the event. The lecture is free and open to the public. Lunch will be served. Michael Davis's publication will be available for purchase during the event onsite through Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore. Sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies and cosponsored by Law School Human Rights LLM Program and the Global Human Rights Clinic. In support of the Liu Institute’s growing commitment to sustainability, we will no longer be offering drinks at our public lectures and panels. We encourage audience members to bring their own water bottles or to drink from nearby water fountains. Thank you for your understanding. Originally published at asia.nd.edu.

Please join the Kellogg Institute in its annual tradition — this year in a new format! — that introduces research of its new Visiting Fellows in an informative and inviting atmosphere. Learn firsthand why Kellogg has invested in the work of these fellows from brief research overview presentations then delve deeper during a Q&A session, moderated by Kellogg Director Aníbal Pérez-Liñán. A light lunch will be available in this second session of a two-part series. Session 2Kelly McMann, Lucy Adams Leffingwell Professor of Political Science at Case Western Reserve UniversityNermin Allam, Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University-NewarkNusrat Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Amherst CollegeSr. Damien Marie Savino, Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist and Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas CollegeFor more information, click here.   Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.