Celtic Studies

This course provides an introduction to Scotland's long history as an independent kingdom between the 10th and the early 18th century. It examines the land and people as a way of considering broad themes in a specific and immediate setting. The central theme is Scotland's development as a European state and society through the medieval and early modern periods and the parallel processes which witnessed the development of a sense of Scottish nationhood. Issues of cultural expression and change, and of religious reform and conflict provide strands for discussion which stress the experience of this land in its wider context. The course places particular emphasis on the use of museum collections and built heritage as evidence for the unique history of this land.

The course introduces students to practical elements of Irish-language culture through a 4-day, residential course based in the Waterford Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area), one hour from UCC. Through classes and field-trips, the students participate in cultural activities relating to famine- and agrarian-history, landscape, music, dance, storytelling etc. in an Irish-speaking environment.

The course focuses on Gaelic song and its role in society. The approach is thematic, and the areas to be addressed include song and sense of place, religion, the emigrant experience, the role of the township bard, and community and labor. The aim is to show how song interacts with the community. Performance is emphasized, and the course draws on recordings housed in the School of Scottish Studies Archives at the University of Edinburgh as well as on live sung examples.

This course focuses on early (i.e. pre 12th-century) Irish saga literature in which a variety of texts, mainly from the Ulster, Mythological and King cycles, are read in translation and discussed in class. 

This course examines the practice of folk medicine in Ireland, in the past and in the present. Irish popular tradition includes a great richness of material on this subject, encompassing a wide range of healing agents and media, from botanical remedies to prescribed rituals and actions, and from specific locations to particular individuals who were credited with special powers. The importance of ritual behavior will be examined, as will the position of the healer in the community. The course looks at what we might learn about the dynamics of popular tradition, and the ways in which popular tradition functions, from an examination of folk healing practices. The remarkable resilience of many such practices is also explored. 

This course offers the opportunity to learn the basics of Gaeilge (Irish, or “Irish Gaelic”), Ireland’s first official language. In addition to acquiring core skills, students also explore cultural topics in their linguistic context.

This course introduces students to critical scholarship in Irish popular music, drawing on writings in ethnomusicology, cultural geography, popular music studies, and Irish studies. Particular emphasis is given to histories of popular music styles and performances from 1960 to the 21st century examining key canonical figures within Irish popular music and significant recordings/events heralding new Irish identities. Topics for discussion include regional and transnational Irish music scenes; musical hybridity; gender and Irish popular music; Irish popular music and LGBT; Irish popular music in literature and visual media; and marginalized ethnic voices in Irish popular music.