Georgia Southern University’s Center for Irish Research and Teaching Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

March 13, 2015

In commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday, March 17, Georgia Southern University’s Center for Irish Research and Teaching (CIRT) is highlighting its programs and deepening relationships with the Irish community in Savannah as well as its partnerships with organizations in Ireland.

“The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festival in Savannah is a day many people look forward to all year, but we want you to know that here at Georgia Southern we study Irish history, life and culture year round,” said Howard Keeley, Ph.D., the director of CIRT.

The Center at Georgia Southern is the only Irish Studies Center in the University System of Georgia. Just last year, CIRT helped launch the Wexford-Savannah Axis Research Project, which is comprised of Georgia Southern, the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah and the John F. Kennedy Trust, based in New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. As part of the initiative, scholars are examining the Irish migration to Savannah during the Great Famine and the impact that had on generations of Irish and Americans in Ireland and the United States.

In addition, the University’s Ireland Study Abroad program is thriving as one of the largest Study in Ireland programs in the United States, with nearly 80 students participating in the eight-year-old program this year. “Georgia Southern has a very active and innovative international study abroad educational program and this is a great example of that,” Keeley said.

In a prelude to St. Patrick’s Day, a concert to benefit the University’s Irish Studies program will be held Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. Soprano Joanne McCabe and the world-renowned organist Eric Sweeney will perform at the concert.

The Center for Irish Research and Teaching is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. For more information about the program visit: class.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/Irish

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers more than 125-degree programs serving more than 20,500 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. GeorgiaSouthern.edu