Global Irish Studies

Georgetown University was founded in 1789 by an Irish-American, John Carroll, the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. The university has been intimately connected to the Irish and Irish-American community ever since—many of the Jesuits who have taught and ministered at the university have been Irish. Irish Americans have generously supported and endowed groundbreaking initiatives on the campus throughout its history, with Rose and Joseph Kennedy providing foundational funding for the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, and a leading entrepreneur, Frank H. McCourt Jr., generously endowing the McCourt School of Public Policy. Presidents Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese have visited the campus. Several University study abroad programs send GU students to universities throughout Ireland, North and South, every year. We in turn have welcomed many Irish students and scholars to spend time here at Georgetown in both our undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Global Irish Studies Initiative at Georgetown University (GIS) has been developed over the past four years, built on a foundation of Georgetown’s global outlook and its research and teaching excellence, and we have ambitious plans for the future:

• Establishing endowed professorships, visiting professorships, lectures, and seminar series
• Facilitating new conversations in global and comparative perspectives on Irish thought and culture, literature, history, politics, business, religion, society, and more.
• Establishing a first-of-its-kind Master’s program in Global Irish Studies
• Developing offerings and scholarships at undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels
• Carrying out transformative research projects that result in widely-disseminated publications
• Partnering with universities, institutions and businesses throughout the United States, Ireland and around the world.

Our aim is to develop Global Irish Studies in innovative ways that bring its interdisciplinary fruits to audiences far and wide, old and new. We are very excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. To learn about our programs and our plans, contact the Director directly or email GIS. We’d be happy to tell you more.