Irish Studies at Boston College

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Irish Studies at Boston College

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The Irish Studies program at Boston College offers a richly interdisciplinary study of Irish and Irish-American culture, history and society.

Boston College was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1863 with the main focus of educating the city's growing Irish immigrant population. Today, Boston College is a top-tier university with an eclectic student body. While this diversity and access to resources allows for the exploration of countless areas of study, Boston College remains dedicated to its Irish roots. The Center for Irish Programs at Boston College is one of the most successful and influential Irish Studies programs in North America. It boasts undergraduate and graduate courses in social, political and economic history, literature, medieval arts, sociology, music and the Irish language. The Burns and O'Neill Libraries contain extensive Irish collections that prove invaluable to Boston College students and faculty studying the field. The program also supplements Irish Studies on campus by sponsoring eclectic lecture, film and music series.

10/26/2026

Registration for Spring 2027 starts in a couple of weeks! Don't forget to sign up for your Irish Studies courses!!

10/21/2026

Our graduate student work group, Meitheal, was thrilled to host Francesco Massadoro, a visiting PhD student from the University of Genoa, this week!

10/20/2026

Our Gaelic Roots Director, Sheila Falls Keohane, and some of her fiddle students performed at the inauguration ceremonies for BC's new President, Fr. Jack Butler

10/20/2026

Did you miss this year's Dalsimer Lecture?

No worries, it's on YouTube!

Boston College has had a long tradition of engagement with Ireland and its culture. The University was founded, in part, to educate the children of Irish Catholic immigrants in Boston. The Irish Studies program at Boston College began in 1978 and is one of the leading international centers for Irish...

10/20/2026

Join us next Wednesday, October 28, at 5 pm in Connolly House as we explore the themes in The Atlas of Irish Sport (UCC Press, 2027).

Our own Mike Cronin will lead a roundtable examining how the project came to life & delve into why sport is so important in Irish history.

10/15/2026

Many thanks to program alumna Méabh Ní Fhuartháin for delivering the 2026/2027 Dalsimer Lecture!

10/15/2026

10/13/2026

Irish Institute Event
"The Rise of the Far Right in Ireland"
Wednesday, October 21
5:00 PM
Yawkey Athletics Center, Murray Room

Across Europe, far-right parties and movements have gained new visibility and influence, generating tensions and reshaping political landscapes. Ireland, north and south, is not immune to these wider dynamics and is experiencing developments that echo wider European patterns of far-right mobilization, including anti-immigration protests, disinformation campaigns, online radicalization, and targeted harassment of public figures.

This seminar examines the distinct drivers behind these developments, including anti-immigrant sentiment, economic pressures, local grievances, and cultural anxieties, as well as the influence of transnational and online networks.

Speakers will explore what these dynamics mean for electoral politics, democracy, social cohesion and inter-community relations across Ireland, north and south. With contributions from Professor Lee McGowan (Queen’s University Belfast) and Professor Eoin O’Malley (Dublin City University), the event will provide evidence-based insights and space for informed discussion.

This event is FREE and open to the public and will feature an expert discussion and audience questions, followed by a complimentary reception.

All are welcome, but registration is required. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrviVKOt38I45wVxjH1u0fuq3WP2WaOfXV_j-f1odkxyXqeA/viewform?usp=send_form

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

Join us next Thursday, October 15, at 6:30 pm in Connolly House for our first Gaelic Roots concert of the semester!

We will be joined by James Kelly on the fiddle!

The concert is free and open to the public.

Address

300 Hammond Street, Connolly House
Chestnut Hill, MA
02467

Website

https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/morrissey/sites/irish.html

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