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Irish and Celtic Studies

As Gaeilge


Irish is one of the oldest departments at Queen’s, with its first professor of Irish, John O’Donovan, taking up post in 1849. The department is situated on University Square in beautiful surroundings a mile from the city centre. Its facilities include a well-stocked library, a buzzing Students’ Union, and an outstanding Physical Education Centre.  The city’s main Irish-language venues, Cultúrlann McAdam-Ó Fiaich on the Falls Road and An Droichead, are within easy reach.  Queen’s is also the setting for an annual arts festival second only to that of Edinburgh, and there is a thriving cultural scene, notably in literature, drama, film and music.

Irish at Queen's offers a range of courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Central to our undergraduate programme is the development of high-level communicative language skills in Irish, as well as the study of contemporary and historical culture and society. Irish can be studied as a Single or Joint pathway on the B.A Honours programme in combination with a wide range of other subjects including History, English, Politics, Linguistics, French and Spanish (including beginners' level).  Further details are available in the University Prospectus and in our prospective students section.

At postgraduate level we offer an MA in Irish Translation Studies aimed at fluent speakers working or hoping to work in the translation industry.  We also teach a practice-based MA in Irish-Medium Film and Script Production which has close links to the industry.  Both programmes can be taken full-time or part-time.  This taught programme can be taken full-time or part-time. We also offer a broad-based MA in Irish and Celtic Studies. Students undertaking this programme can choose from a variety of modules taught by specialists in those fields.

Research interests of staff in Irish include Modern Irish dialects and phonology, translation, folklore, 17th and 18th-century Ireland, medieval Irish language and literature, onomastics, Gaelic Scotland, the Irish in Europe, and Humanities Computing.

Tá Roinn na Gaeilge ar na ranna is sine in Ollscoil na Banríona. Ceapadh an chéad Ollamh, John O’Donovan, i 1849. Tá an Roinn féin suite i dtimpeallacht tharraingteach ar Chearnóg na hOllscoile, fá mhíle de lár na cathrach. Folaíonn a háiseanna leabharlann chuimsitheach Aontas Mac Léinn a bhíonn beo bríomhar agus Ionad Corpoideachais den scoth.  Lena chois seo, tá ardán rathúil do chultúr ann, ardán a gcuirtear sonrú ann go háirithe sa litríocht, sa dramaíocht, sa scannánaíocht agus sa cheol.  Níl na príomhionaid Ghaeilge sa chathair i bhfad ar bith ó cheantar na hOllscoile ach oiread, mar atá Cultúrlann Mac Adaim-Ó Fiaich ar Bhóthar na bhFál agus An Droichead ar Bhóthar Ormeau.  Gach bliain bíonn féile ealaíona ar Ollscoil na Banríona nach bhfuil a sárú le fáil ach i nDún Éideann. 

Tá réimse cúrsaí ar fáil sa Roinn ag leibhéal fochéime agus iarchéime araon. Is cuid lárnach den chúrsa fochéime forbairt scileannateanga ar ardchaighdeán i nGaeilge, taobh le staidéar ar chultúr agus ar shochaí comhaimseartha agus stairiúil. Is féidir staidéar a dhéanamh ar an Ghaeilge mar ábhar aonarach nó mar chomhábhar ar an B.A Onóracha. Folaíonn féidirtheachtaí na gcomhchéimeanna an Stair, an Béarla, an Pholaitíocht, an Teangeolaíocht, an Fhraincis agus an Spáinnis (cúrsa do thosaitheorí san áireamh). Tá tuilleadh eolais ar fáil i Réamheolaire na hOllscoile agus faoi mic léinn ionchasacha.

Ag leibhéal iarchéime tairgimid MA i Léann an Aistriúcháin Ghaeilge, atá dírithe ar chainteoirí líofa atá ag obair in earnáil an aistriúcháin nó orthu siúd ar suim leo dul ag obair inti. Ta cúrsa praiticiúil MA Leiriú Scannán agus Scríbhneoireacht Scripte a theagasc againn fosta a bhfuil diúthcheangal aige leis an earnáil.  Is féidir an clár seo a dhéanamh go páirtaimseartha nó go lánaimseartha. Lena chois seo tairgimid cúrsa is leithne, mar atá MA sa Ghaeilge agus sa Léann Ceilteach. Roghnaíonn mic léinn a thugann faoin chlár seo as réimse ábhar a theagascann saineolaithe sna speisialtachtaí sin.

Folaíonn suimeanna taighde na foirne canúintí agus fóineolaíocht na Nua-Ghaeilge, an t-aistriúchán, Éire sa 17ú agus san 18ú haois, teanga agus litríocht na Gaeilge Clasaicí, an ainmeolaíocht, Gaeil na Alban, na hÉireannaigh in Eoraip agus an Ríomhaireacht sna Daonnachtaí.