Departmental Brochure
Irish Studies at Fairfield
An opportunity to learn about the intriguing history, politics, literature, and art of Ireland is available to you through a minor in Irish studies at Fairfield University. You can focus on the troubled history of the nation, its colonial and postcolonial significance, the difficult politics of Northern Ireland, and the inspired art and literature that emerged from its turbulent past. The program organizes a number of courses previously available in various departments and enhances them with new features. Enthusiasm for this area of study has surged in the last three decades as the Irish people have sought to resolve long-standing political issues and taken an interesting role in the new global economy. Fairfield, with a significant Irish-American representation among its students and alumni, provides a welcoming environment for Irish studies. The University hosts a number of lectures, concerts, plays, and readings that complement the academic program and has established a study abroad affiliation with the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Real-World Education
A real-world orientation is a standing feature of Jesuit education. For this reason, you will be encouraged to undergo the experience of Ireland  by studying abroad for a summer, a term, or a year. As an Irish studies minor, you can take advantage of credit programs of two weeks at the end of the spring term, or one or two semesters, with a full array of courses at the National University of Ireland. Fairfield hosts students from Ireland who come every year to study in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business through the Rev. John M. Conlisk Scholarship, funded by interested alumni. Visiting scholars and artists also visit campus to present their work through the William and Mary Stack Irish Lecture Series. Throughout your work in Irish studies, you will find the interchanges of scholars and artists to be sources of concrete information and delight.
Resources
Fairfield has significant and growing library holdings in Irish studies and it sponsors a variety of programs that open Irish culture to the student body. These include lectures, plays, and programs of traditional and popular Irish music and dance featuring such performers as Tommy Makem, Cherish the Ladies, Boys of the Lough, Phil Coulter, the Clancy Brothers, Dervish, Black 47, and the Wolfe Tones.
Authors Frank McCourt, Mihaul O'Siodhail, Kevin Baker, Peter Quinn, Tom Hayden, historian Fintan Mullan, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, diplomat Tomas O'Huiginn, and Ireland's Prime Minister Bertie Ahearn, have all spoken at Fairfield.
Course Of Study
To complete the minor in Irish studies, you must take five three-credit courses, including either EN 279 Irish Literature or HI 215 History of Ireland, Middle Ages to the Present. Those who choose Irish Literature may take up to two additional English courses, but must take the remaining two courses in other fields. Those choosing the History of Ireland as a requirement may take up to three additional courses in English, with the remaining course in a field other than English or history. These courses may be taken at Fairfield University.
For students who opt to spend a semester, a summer, or an academic year at the National University of Ireland, Galway, through the study abroad program, courses may be chosen from that university's curriculum. All such courses must be preapproved for their relevance to Irish studies by the program director.
Internships and independent studies may be credited to the minor with the approval of the program director.
Some of the courses offered at Fairfield are:
- Art History
- The Celtic World and Early Irish Art
- Irish Art of the Golden Age (forthcoming)
American Studies
- The Image of the Irish in Film
English
- The Galway Experience I
- Myths and Legends of Ireland and Britain
- The Irish Literary Renaissance (forthcoming)
- The Irish Short Story
- Modern Irish Drama
- Irish Literature Survey
- Irish Women Writers
- Irish-American Literature
- James Joyce's Ulysses
- The Literature of the Great Famine
History
- Ireland from the Middle Ages to the Present
- Irish History from the Great Famine to the Present
Politics
- Northern Ireland: The Politics of War and Peace
- The Politics of Immigration: The Irish and Jewish Experience in the United States
Studio Art
- Invited Artist Workshop: Contemporary Irish Artists Film
- Foundation Drawing
If you study at the National University of Ireland in Galway, you can choose courses from a curriculum rich in Irish history, literature, sociology, economics, archaeology, and other fields.
Faculty
Faculty from a number of departments contribute to the program in Irish studies. Among them are:
 Kevin J. Cassidy, director
Politics
Ph.D., City University of New York
Northern Ireland: The Politics of War and Peace
William Abbott
History
D.Phil., Oxford University
Ireland from the Middle Ages to the Present, Irish History from the Famine to the Present
Ruth Ann Baumgartner
English
M.A., University of Rochester
Irish Drama
Robert Epstein
English
Ph.D., Princeton University
Myths and Legends of Ireland and Britain
Donald Greenberg
Politics
Ph.D., City University of New York
Irish and Jewish Immigration Patterns
James F. Mullan
English
Ph.D., Fordham University
Irish-American Literature, Irish Literature, Irish Literary Renaissance, James Joyce's Ulysses
Leo F. O'Connor
American Studies
Ph.D., New York University
Image of the Irish in American Film
Nels C. Pearson
English
Ph.D., University of Maryland
Beckett, Yeats, Irish Literary Modernism
Marice Rose
Visual and Performing Arts
Ph.D., Rutgers University
The Celtic World and Early Irish Art, Irish Art of the Golden Age: 800-1200 A.D.
Marion White
English
M.F.A., Sarah Lawrence College
The Galway Experience I, Irish Short Story, Irish Women Writers, Irish Literature
Michael C. White
English
Ph.D., The University of Denver
Literature of the Great Famine
Jo Yarrington
Visual and Performing Arts
M.F.A., Ohio State University
Contemporary Irish Art
Research and Internships
Fairfield students have abundant opportunities for internships with corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. With the initiation of the minor program, internships are expected to unfold with businesses and other agencies involved with Ireland and Irish interests. Independent research is encouraged and the program will accept any valid proposal you present for independent study for credit.
NUI Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway, one of Ireland's leading academic institutions, was founded in 1845, and called Queen's College, Galway. Still standing and very much in use are the 19th-century Tudor buildings that surround the quadrangle. In 1908, under a new charter, the College was renamed University College, Galway. It was designated a university in 1997 and received its third name change, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh/National University of Ireland, Galway. The Irish language can be heard in both the classroom and on campus. Attractively situation on the River Corrib, the University has enjoyed considerable growth since the 1960s, and has earned an international reputation in its pursuit of excellence. The University is a short walk to the center of Galway, a lively, student friendly city that offers a rich selection of cultural events, including traditional Irish music. For more information: http://www.nuigalway.ie.
Profile
John Daly '08
Irish studies minor
"My grandfather was an immigrant from Belfast and I have had an interest in Ireland and Irish history since I was young. With the Irish Studies minor, I have gained a better understanding of my family history and the country's own exciting past. I've been given the chance to look critically at the political unrest and read some of the great Irish writers and playwrights, and I took the Galway Experience over the summer to witness the country's beauty firsthand. There I studied everything from folklore to politics and got a chance to witness the culture from tour groups to the Aran Islands and Gaelic football in the All-Ireland Tournament. The program gives me a chance to gain a better understanding of my family roots and a culture that is very interesting to me."
Life After Fairfield
Your career path is likely to be governed by your choice of a major, but the minor in Irish studies adds an interesting dimension to your qualifications for graduate study or future employment. With the broad liberal educational base that is required of all Fairfield students - and a major in history, economics, business, politics, literature, or art - your work in Irish studies provides special perspectives that can make you a more versatile employee or student. Whether or not Irish studies is a practical factor in your career, it is likely to remain an absorbing and pleasurable interest for life.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Kevin J. Cassidy, program director
Donnarumma Hall 306
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Tel: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2862
E-mail: kjcassidy@mail.fairfield.edu
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