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MA Irish History

The MA Irish History is studied through the Culture, Politics and Identity strand. This is a general strand, with an emphasis on the relationship between culture and politics in the history of modern Ireland from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Designed as a flexible means of pursuing modern Irish history, it can be individually tailored to allow students to focus on specific research interests beyond the core themes of culture and politics, including Migration, (taught in collaboration with staff from the Centre for Migration Studies) and Women's History and Gender. Further information about the MA Irish History in general is available from the co-ordinator, Dr Fearghal McGarry (f.mcgarry@qub.ac.uk)  [Apply online] [Funding]

Why study MA Irish History at Queen's University Belfast?

Irish History is a principal area of research excellence within QUB. We have a concentration of research-active Irish historians unparalleled in the UK and amongst the best in Ireland; eleven full-time members of staff have research interests in this area. Queens' University Belfast is a member of the Russell Group of leading UK research-led universities and we were placed in the top 100 world history departments in the 2011 QS World University Rankings. The 2008 RAE results placed History at Queen’s in the top 20 university departments in the UK in terms of research power.

Irish History at Queen’s has close working relationships with major archival and special collections locally (including the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, and the Centre for Migration Studies, Omagh), and we are within working distance of major research depositories in Dublin. The Main Library at Queen's is a leading research library, with important Special Collections holdings in Irish history, and subscriptions to leading online research databases.

History at Queen's has a lively research culture, and MA Irish History students are encouraged to participate in our wide range of research activities, including:

 

Among our particular areas of Irish historical research specialism are:

Anglo-Norman Ireland; medieval monasticism; early-modern Irish society; 18th Century politics and religion; Catholicism; Presbyterianism; the Great Famine and its legacy, the Poor Law; Irish political economy; women’s and gender history in Ireland; the economic development of modern Ireland; migration history; Ireland and the British empire; Irish military history; the Irish Revolution; Republicanism in 20th Century Ireland; the history of Belfast and 20th-Century Northern Ireland.

Teaching Staff on the MA Irish History:

Dr Marie Coleman (Irish Revolution; political, social and gender history of 19th-20th century Ireland)

Prof Sean Connolly (Irish political, social and religious history 17th-20th centuries; Catholicism; history of Belfast)

Dr Paddy Fitzgerald (Irish migration history)

Prof Marie Therese Flanagan (12th-century Ireland; medieval monasticism)

Prof Peter Gray (19th-century British-Irish relations; Great Famine and poor relief; political economy; Ireland and India)

Prof David Hayton (17th-18th century Irish politics and religion; the Irish Parliament)

Dr Andrew Holmes (18th-20th century Ulster, especially Presbyterianism)

Prof Keith Jeffery (Ireland and the British Empire; Irish military history)

Prof Liam Kennedy (Economic and social history of modern Ireland)

Dr Anthony Malcomson (18th-century politics and society)

Dr Fearghal McGarry (Political and cultural history of 20th Century Ireland; Republicanism; Ireland and Spain)

Prof Mary O'Dowd (Early-modern Ireland; Irish women’s and gender history and historiography)

Dr Olwen Purdue (Irish Social and Economic History)

In addition, the School works closely with Irish historians in the Institute of Irish Studies and the School of Politics at QUB.