This durational reading of the Bunreacht will place much-needed attention on the language, peculiarities, and omissions of the founding document of our State. The event will invite audience members and passers-by to (re)consider the ways in which law subtly surrounds us in our everyday lives. As a busy thoroughfare of the Sutherland building, the Gardiner Atrium provides a unique location for this reading. It is a space inherently concerned with motion, movement, and transparency. Its floor to ceiling windows gesture toward themes of openness that are important to the rule of law. Further, the transitional nature of the Gardiner Atrium connects with the changing nature of the Bunreacht itself, particularly with the upcoming referendum on gender equality in 2024. The reading will invite people to witness, engage, and join in a significant reading of the Bunreacht led jointly by poet, Julie Morrissy and assistant professor in law, Maebh Harding. Together, the location and the reading will encourage visitors to think about our shared values, our civic responsibilities, and the manner in which law binds us to one another.
The reading itself emphasises the importance of collective and collaborative reading practices as a means to bolster community and to spark conversations about potential changes to our society. The act of collective reading connects with notions of speaking/listening, ritual, embodiment, and process, all of which too are integral to our legal systems. Public reading practices have long been a cornerstone of literature. Our event is especially informed by poet-lawyer M. NourbeSe Philip’s durational readings of her book Zong!, in which she reconstructs the language of the Gregson v Gilbert legal judgment to examine through poetry the drowning of slaves on board the Zong ship.
As we are bound in a variety of ways by the Bunreacht, it is crucial to create new ways to encounter and understand this document. Our durational reading will be interspersed with periods of discussion and interaction, opening space to clarify and tease out issues and gaps in the Bunreacht. The emphasis on collectivity and collaboration in this event will create new connections with this important legal document that itself has been fundamentally formed and shaped in conversation with the people of Ireland.
Refreshments will be provided.