Irish Studies is an interdisciplinary field of research devoted to the study of Ireland, History of Ireland. Geography of Ireland, Culture of Ireland, Literature of Ireland, Art of Ireland, Languages of Ireland, Politics of the Republic of Ireland, Politics of Northern Ireland and Irish people in Ireland and elsewhere. It is sometimes subsumed within the category of Celtic studies and European studies.
In 2018, the Irish government launched a Global Ireland initiative which was designed to promote all aspects of Ireland, including culture, diplomacy and business, internationally. [1] This supplemented the Culture Ireland initiative which was established in 2005. [2]
There are a number of academic centres devoted to research and teaching in Irish Studies throughout the world.
Each of the universities in Ireland has particular expertise in aspects of Irish studies.
From the 16th century onwards a chain of Irish Colleges was established across Europe for the education of Irish Catholic priests and laity. The earliest of these was in Lisbon and over 30 more colleges followed. [3] With the opening up of higher education in Ireland, these colleges closed but remnants include St Anthony's College, Leuven and the Irish College in Paris. [4] [5]
There is continuing interest in Irish studies across Europe reflecting the long engagement of Ireland with the continent. [6] [7]
With the history of Irish emigration to North America, it is not surprising that there are a number of centers of Irish Studies there. [11]
In the United States there are several centers, especially in the north-east.
In Canada there are several centres of Irish Studies including:
There is also interest in Irish studies in South America. [15]
Again, as a result of emigration to Australia and New Zealand there is considerable interest in Irish studies there. [17] [18]
In Asia, there is growing interest in Irish studies.
There are a number of journals devoted to publishing the results of research in Irish Studies. [23] These include:
There are several book series devoted to aspects of Irish studies. These include:
Several organizations have been established in various countries to promote research and collaboration in Irish Studies. [29] There is the European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies, British Association of Irish Studies, the American Conference for Irish Studies, the Canadian Association for Irish Studies, the French Society for Irish Studies, the Nordic Irish Studies Network, the Spanish Association for Irish Studies, the Society for Irish Latin American Studies, the Brazilian Association of Irish Studies and the Irish Studies Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Internationally, there is the International Association for the Study of Irish Literature and the Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland.
In Ireland, there are many relevant organizations including the Irish Women's Writing Network and the Labour History Society.
Ulster University, legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It is the largest university in Northern Ireland and the second-largest university on the island of Ireland, after the federal National University of Ireland.
Bunkyo University is a private university located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, with campuses in Saitama and Kanagawa Prefecture.
The University of Macau is a public research university of Macau. The university campus is located in the east of Hengqin Island, Guangdong, on a piece of land leased to the Government of Macau and is under the jurisdiction of Macau.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is a private research university based in Seoul, in South Korea. The university currently teaches 45 foreign languages. In addition, it contains studies in humanities, law, political science, social sciences, business, medical science, natural sciences, and engineering.
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi and one in Kuttanad, Alappuzha, 66 km (41 mi) inland.
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Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history, Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, Oriental studies, religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages, political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies. Jewish studies as a distinct field is mainly present at colleges and universities in North America.
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The University of Cyprus is a public research university established in Cyprus in 1989. It admitted its first students in 1992 and has approximately 7000 students.
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The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 12 colleges and research institutions spread around the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire regions of Scotland. UHI offers further education, undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes which can be studied at a range of locations across the area and online. It has 31,000 students, including 19,779 further education students and 11,210 higher education students.
Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples. This ranges from linguistics, literature and art history, archaeology and history, the focus lying on the study of the various Celtic languages, living and extinct. The primary areas of focus are the six Celtic languages currently in use: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany.
Dibrugarh University is a collegiate public state university in the Indian state of Assam. It is located at Dibrugarh, Assam, India. It is the second oldest University in Assam and in the North East. It was set up on 1 July 1965 under the provisions of the Dibrugarh University Act, 1965 enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly. The University was established to build it as a Center of Science and Technology. As the University was planned as a centre of higher education in science and technology, Bhoj Raj Seth, an eminent mathematician of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, was appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor at the initiative of the then Education Minister of Assam, Dev Kant Barooah.
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The UBC Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia was established in 1961 and is one of the top Asian Studies departments in North America. The department's faculty and staff offices are located in the Asian Centre of the Vancouver campus.
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