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Center for Irish Studies

Center for Irish Studies

Irish Studies explores the history and culture of the Irish people from the different perspectives of literature, history, art, politics, and folklore, enabling students to understand the richness of Irish culture. It is a culture which traces itself back to the dawn of Western Civilization when the earliest Celts, who were known to the Greeks and challenged by the Romans, established an art that influenced the early Christians. In the ensuing centuries, Irish culture has continued to influence life in Europe and North America while exploring its own directions.

In our time, a renewed awareness of the historic and mythic past led to the Irish literary revival at the beginning of the twentieth century and contributed to those political upheavals in modern Irish life which continue to reverberate. The Irish Studies minor develops a program whereby students can discover the evolution of twenty-first century Ireland.

The program is open to students from all colleges. Interested students may also study in Ireland either in a Semester Abroad program or with the Villanova in Ireland Summer program at NUI Galway. Details are available in the Irish Studies Office.

Upcoming Events

Announcing the Villanova University Center for Irish Studies

Beginning this fall, we will inaugurate our new Center for Irish Studies by hosting an academic conference, "Who's/Whose Irish? Philadelphia Stories of Inclusion and Exclusion" on October 15th. We will also welcome the Abbey Theatre to Philadelphia with a Villanova Night at their performance of The Plough and the Stars by Sean O'Casey at the Annenberg Center on October 14th. The performance is part of a tour to commemorate the Easter Rising of 1916. 

The Center for Irish Studies is being made possible by a generous gift from the Connelly Foundation. To honor the gift the Center's directorship will be named for Emily C. Riley, Executive Vice President for the Connelly Foundation and a former member of the Villanova University Board of Trustees. For more on the educational philanthropy of the Connelly Foundation and their gift click here.

We will also host the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on September 20th for their quarterly meeting. Professor Joseph Lee, Director of Glucksman Ireland House at NYU, will deliver a lecture on "Easter 1916" at 7:30 p.m. in the Villanova Room of the Connelly Center, which is open to the community.

Other news: Vicky Brady from Cork joins the Villanova Irish Studies Center to teach Irish Language courses this year, Introductory Irish I & II and Intermediate Irish. Failte romhat Vicky!

And, in January we will welcome Belfast Playwright Stacey Gregg who is shown here at the awards ceremony for the Irish Times Theatre Awards. Her play Scorch won best new play for 2016 (photo credit: Aidan Crawley).

Contact Information

Center for Irish Studies
Villanova University, SAC Room 105E
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085

Director, Dr. Joseph Lennon

Email: joseph.lennon@villanova.edu
Phone: (610) 519-4647 



Administrative Assistant II,
Wendy Wunderlich

Email: wendy.wunderlich@villanova.edu
Phone: (610) 519-7517

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