12 years of MA in Irish and Irish-American Studies at Glucksman Ireland House NYU

Expanding Understandings: Twelve Years of the Master of Arts in Irish and Irish-American Studies at Glucksman Ireland House NYU

 At its founding in the midst of what would become the Great Recession, the Masters of Arts in Irish and Irish-American Studies at Glucksman Ireland House at New York University was a risky proposition. As the program reaches its 12th anniversary, it has become clear that it was an inspired one.

This fall, we admit our thirteenth cohort of students into a program that is going from strength to strength. NYU is continually expanding the boundaries of how Ireland and her diaspora is studied, under the able guidance of a leading historian of American immigration and the Irish diaspora, Professor Kevin Kenny.

This spring, another cohort of graduands will put the finishing touches on theses that excavate many fascinating aspects of Irish America, in historical and contemporary contexts. One thesis has resurrected a prominent Irish woman whose activity was impactful on the American suffragism and on Irish nationalism over a century ago. Another has looked at present-day expressions of Irishness in an array of settings and through popular culture. Each semester, we expand our understandings of the Irish experience in Ireland and overseas.

From a scholarly perspective, the addition of graduate-level study in Irish and Irish-American Studies at NYU has certainly been a boon. The past dozen years have afforded NYU the opportunity to teach and mentor a diverse group of students who have gone on to apply their learning in an array of ways. For some, the degree is a pathway into a PhD program for others it is satisfying a lifelong interest in Ireland. The New York City location and the immense footprint of the Irish in the United States ensures that the Master of Arts in Irish and Irish-American Studies attracts many non-traditional students who enrich experiences of learning and teaching. 

Teaching is at the heart of any graduate program. As mentioned, Glucksman Ireland House faculty is led by the leading scholar, Kevin Kenny, with the able support of fellow historians Thomas Truxes, Marion Casey, Linda Dowling Almeida, Miriam Nyhan Grey, Barry McCarron, and Nicholas Wolf. The program covers nearly six centuries on both sides of the Atlantic, with particular attention to colonialism, emigration, and enduring links between New York City and Ireland.  Irish literature scholars John Waters and Kelly Sullivan bring insight and inspiration to the teaching of one of the world’s great literary traditions, from Jonathan Swift to Seamus Heaney and beyond. Courses in Irish culture studies are taught by Global Distinguished Professor of Music Mick Moloney and world-renowned dancer and choreographer Jean Butler; and by award-winning Irish-language teacher and native Irish speaker Pádraig O’Cearuill, along with Hilary Mhic Suibhne.

The Master’s Degree in Irish and Irish American Studies at NYU is part of a dynamic graduate school, in the most dynamic city, in the most dynamic country in the world. So, there's no surprise that opportunity follows the Irish trail in New York City, as it has for so long, as it will in the future.

For information on the program, including tuition scholarships, see http://irelandhouse.fas.nyu.edu/page/graduate and email ireland.house@nyu.edu or contact Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Miriam Nyhan Grey at 212-998-3953. We are currently accepting applications for fall 2019. The priority deadline is June 30th.