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About the MA Irish Studies

From Poetry to Parades

Our Irish Studies courses range from the poetry of Seamus Heaney (himself a QUB graduate) to the politics of contested parades and the Irish language in today's Northern Ireland; from the literature of the Medieval sagas and the Gaelic Revival to the controversies around contemporary commemorations of the Easter Rising and the First World War, and Ireland's post-Brexit place in the world.

Language Revival, Reconciliation and Politics

This is a interdisciplinary Irish Studies option module drawing on Irish Language and Literature, Politics and Law (new for semester 2 2022-23)

This will explore the role of language politics in Northern Ireland both during the Troubles and until the present day. The seminars will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team of experts and address engagement with the Irish language in both traditionally nationalist and loyalist communities. Course themes will be explored through analysis of a variety of texts, including documentaries, podcasts, literary writings, autobiographies and language policy documents. The course will also be complimented by two field trips, for example to Turas in the Methodist Mission in East Belfast and Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich on the Falls Road in West Belfast. Convenor: Dr Siobhra Aiken.

Kingship and Colonisation in Medieval Ireland

This is a new interdisciplinary Irish Studies option module drawing on Archaeology, History and Irish Folklore and Literature. Launching in 2023-24!

The course will focus on the period between 700-1350 and trace important changes in Irish kingship over time and in response to the incursions of the Vikings and later the Anglo-Normans.

See the course outline
Maclise, Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife
View Ireland from a Belfast Perspective

The MA features an interdisciplinary core module on ‘Belfast: Place, Identity and Memory in a Contested City’

this offers a unique introduction to Irish Studies through the study of Belfast - Ireland's second city and the capital of Northern Ireland since 1921 - and its relationship to the rest of the island and the wider world

See the course outline
Irish Studies Options

Follow your own interests by selecting your Option Modules from our Irish Studies and Research Methods course lists.

Includes courses from English, History, Anthropology, Politics, Sociology, Irish, Archaeology and Creative Arts.

See MA Options and Structure
Apply Now

Apply via the QUB Postgraduate Study Pages: