BA Humanities Irish Studies (DN530/ISS1)

Undergraduate (Level 8 NFQ, Credits 240)
Academic Year 2024/2025

Study Abroad

Scholarships Available

Duration:: 4 Year(s)
Next Intake:: 2024/2025 September
General Entry Requirements (A-Level): CCC
General Entry Requirements (IB): 24
Country Specific Entry Requirements:: Visit the UCD Global Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage.

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Curricular information is subject to change.

Irish Studies is an interdisciplinary programme that examines the variety and diversity of Irish history, society, cultural practice and the complex processes through which Ireland and Irish identities have been constructed.

It asks a series of provocative and stimulating questions about ideas of Ireland and Irishness, such as how can we understand the ways in which place, history, culture and society have shaped Ireland, past and present? How do processes of emigration and immigration impact on Irish culture, society and identity? What influence have identity categories such as gender, sexuality, ethnicity and class had on Irish culture, society and identities?

About this Course

Students take core Irish Studies modules alongside designated option modules from other Arts & Humanities & Social Sciences programme subject areas, including Irish Folklore, Celtic Civilization, Archaeology, Art History, English, Geography, History, Music and Sociology.

First Year

First-year modules introduce students to key areas in Irish Studies. Modules include:

Introduction to Irish Studies
Introduction to Irish Cultural Studies
Folklore & the Imagination.
Dublin: Its Museums & Collections

Second & Final Years

Modules include:

Reading Irish Studies: Place People & Identities
Irish Studies Readings Seminar
Irish Literature in English
Irish Studies Research Skills
The Forgotten Irish
Heritage Management
Gender, Culture & Society
Kings & Heroes of Early Ireland
Yeats & the Arts
Myth & Tradition
Collectors of Song & Music
Poets, Power & Performance
Material Culture
Music in Ireland
Reading the Irish Revival
Music in Ireland
Georgian Dublin
Irish Foreign Policy, 1919-73

Students attend lectures and seminars each week, as well as engage in active learning in museums, archives and cultural sites both on and off-campus.

Assessment is through a combination of written examinations and continuous assessment, including essays, portfolios, online tasks, presentations and independent research projects.

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module ID	Module Title	Trimester	Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
IRST10010	Introduction to Irish Studies	Autumn	5
IRST10020	Introduction to Irish Cultural Studies	Spring	5
Stage 1 Core Modules
Stage 1 Options
AH10070	Dublin: Its Museums and Collections	Autumn	5
CCIV10010	Introduction to Celtic Civilization	Autumn	5
CCIV10040	Vikings in the Celtic World	Autumn	5
EMIR10010	Introduction to Early Irish I	Autumn	5
ENG10130	Contemporary Irish Writing	Autumn	5
GEOG10130	Geography Matters	Autumn	5
HIS10410	Elections, parliaments, and state formation	Autumn	5
IRFL10010	Introduction to Folklore	Autumn	5
SPOL10180	History of Irish Social Policy	Autumn	5
IR10050	Irish for Beginners/Gaeilge do Thosaitheoirí	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
IR10140	Litríocht na Gaeilge	Autumn and Spring (separate)	5
ARCH10050	Intro archaeology of Ireland	Spring	5
CCIV10020	Early Ireland: Continuity & Change	Spring	5
CCIV10030	The British Celts	Spring	5
HIS10310	Ireland's English Centuries	Spring	5
HIS10320	The Making of Modern Ireland, 1800-2000	Spring	5
IRFL10040	Ethnography of the Everyday	Spring	5

Exchange opportunities available to third year students have included:

Edinburgh University, UK
Glasgow University, UK
University of Toronto, Canada
University of Otago, New Zealand
Concordia University, Canada

Irish Studies is a growing discipline building on other possible international study opportunities in the US, Canada, UK, China, Australia, Europe and South Africa.

Irish Studies graduates develop key skills such as research, critical thinking and writing, that have diverse applications and can lead to employment opportunities in: Journalism and the Media, Tourism, Heritage, Advertising, Business, the Arts, Public Relations, Public Service and Politics.

Graduates are prepared to pursue MA and Diploma courses offered by the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies & Folklore including the MA Irish Studies and the MA Irish Folklore & Ethnology. Graduates may also pursue MLitt and PhD studies specialising in one of the many areas of the subject.

Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.

UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.

The following advice is for Non-EU applicants. For Irish/EU/UK students, please apply via MyUCD.

The following entry route(s) are available:

BA Irish Studies (ISS1) Undergraduate Degree (Non EU)	Entry in Sep 2024	Full Time -	Apply from Oct 2023	Apply

“Choosing Irish Studies was one of the best decisions I have made in UCD. The core lectures encourage students to apply critical analysis to what makes Ireland the country it is today. In addition, through the range of option modules, I have also gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of Irish culture, history and society. I highly recommend choosing Irish Studies as a subject stream in UCD.”

Declan Nugent, Student