Irish Studies

Méabh Ni Fhuartháin |   Irish traditional music and dance

The value of the Centre for all students as an interdisciplinary hub, drawing on a wide and expert knowledge base across the university, has been essential in my own development as a scholar. The egalitarian ethos of the Centre is especially apparent through the Meitheal graduate research group, a fortnightly opportunity to present work in progress to fellow students and staff from within the Centre and throughout the college. Additionally, the Irish Studies Seminar Series, also administrated by the graduate student body, offers a chance to hear a wide variety of visiting scholars. For me personally, one of the most fruitful aspects of my time at the Centre has been the full intellectual engagement of visiting scholars with students. The atmosphere created at the Centre for Irish Studies, of intellectual rigor and challenge, and the sense of community at Martha Fox House all serve to make being a graduate student highly rewarding on a personal and professional level, and in my case something which I am certain I would not have found elsewhere.