Dublin’s Temple Bar, an Irish landmark.
Everyone goes Irish on March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day. That’s a given. But the College of Charleston is staking its claim on a longer-term basis by establishing a new minor in Irish and Irish American studies. As they say in the old country, Eirinn go Brach!
The new program, which formally begins next fall, will be taught by professors from numerous disciplines, including anthropology, history, English, political science and music. Students who opt to pursue this minor will take an introductory course, and then have the option of taking courses in Irish or Irish-American culture, society, history, and politics.
English professor Joe Kelly, who will direct the program, has taken students on study abroad trips to Ireland every other summer for the past 10 years. He also teaches Irish literature courses, and says that a special topics course in that field has been hugely popular, once drawing more than 80 students.
Learn more about the minor’s kick-off event on the Irish and Irish American Studies blog.
Kelly and his colleagues have plans to grow the program’s offerings and incorporate a number of new courses, including one focusing on Irish sport. “We have a tremendous amount of expertise regarding all things Irish across campus, and we ultimately want to include that in the program.”
According to Kelly, the Irish Studies Minor is loosely modeled on the College’s Jewish Studies Program, which offers both a major and a minor in that field. “What is truly impressive about that program,” he explains, “is the amount of public outreach that they’ve generated. And just like there is a strong Jewish community in Charleston, there is also a very strong Irish and Irish-American community here. Already we’ve gotten a lot of support from members of that community, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Irish Historical Society.”
As a means of celebrating and promoting this new minor, Kelly and his cohorts have orchestrated a festive evening of Irish music – Celtic Night at the Charleston Music Hall – on April 4, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Several bands will play and members of the program’s faculty will be on hand.
