Friday, March 17, 2023,  at 6:00 p.m.

$70* per person - dinner and program

Members can add guests to their RSVP or have their guests pre-pay online using the courtesy guest button (code required provided in the member's RSVP confirmation email)

This evening will begin with an Irish Whisky reception for members and guests, accompanied by traditional Celtic Irish on fiddle and banjo. The dinner will feature Irish dishes created by Chef Patrick.

☘️Wearing a shamrock or a touch of green is encouraged for those who have Irish heritage or simply love things Irish.

The title for this celebration is taken from William B. Yeats' poem "Easter 1916," one of the most powerful political poems of the 20th century. It was written in response to the famed 1916 Rising in Dublin. The poem ends with these lines about the insurrection martyrs whose names . . .

Now and in time to be,

Wherever green is worn,

Are changed, changed utterly:  

    A terrible beauty is born.

This time 100 years ago, Yeats became a senator in the first Irish Free State government during the Irish Civil War and in the same year he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. What political and artistic issues was Yeats wrestling with during those troubled times, and how did his art embody these warring arguments?

Addressing these questions, Christopher Griffin will examine a selection of Yeats poems in an illustrated presentation. Griffin is an Irish literature lover highly regarded in Washington for his delightful lectures in Politics and Prose and Smithsonian Journeys. In 2018 at the Arts Club he delivered a memorable presentation on Oscar Wilde.

6:00 p.m. - Cocktail hour

7:00 p.m. - Program

7:45 p.m. - Dinner

A reservation is required for dinner by 8 p.m. the day before. Due to the construction of the kitchen we can only accommodate 60 guests. Once we reach our maximum capacity, we regrettably will not be able to accommodate additional guests. Please RSVP early!