I am currently a graduate student at the University of St. Thomas performing research on the Stage Irishwoman and the novels of James Joyce, with specific reference to the colonial and postcolonial implications of each.
University of St. Thomas Houston
William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies
The mission of our interdisciplinary academic program and Center for Irish Studies is as follows:
(i) to preserve Irish heritage and culture;
(ii) to promote peace and reconciliation using the Northern Ireland model; and
(iii) to serve as a premier Center for Irish Studies in the Southwest.
Our academic program offers a Minor in Irish Studies in the undergraduate program and a graduate concentration in the Master in Liberal Arts program.
Every other summer, Lori Gallagher leads a group of approximately 12 students to Ireland and Northern Ireland to study the peace process. The students receive three credits for this course. We provide scholarships of approximately $4,000 per student to enable them to study abroad. During this course, the students meet with top level governmental officials, religious leaders and community leaders. The students also experience a vast array of cultural aspects of Ireland and Northern Ireland through private guided tours by experts in history, politics and archaeology. Additionally, the students visit many of the natural wonders of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
We also have a study abroad exchange program with Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland.
We participate in the Business Education Initiative/Study USA program by providing a student from a university in Northern Ireland with a scholarship for tuition for a full academic year to study business at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
Courses
Four levels of Irish language (Prof. Jonathan Ó Néill)
Irish Traditions and Culture (Prof. Jonathan Ó Néill)
Irish Folklore and Mythology (Prof. Jonathan Ó Néill)
Irish Post-Colonial Studies (Prof. Jonathan Ó Néill)
Modern Irish Literature (Dr. Janet Lowery; Dr. Shannon Forbes)
Modern Irish Playwrights (Dr. Janet Lowery)
Irish Film (Dr. Janet Lowery)
History of Ireland Since 1600 (Dr. Lee Williames)
Northern Ireland: Conflict and Peace (3-4 weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland during summer) (Lori Gallagher JD and Prof. Jonathan Ó Néill)
Irish American Experience: Irish Diaspora (Lori Gallagher JD)
Historical and Political Perspectives on Irish Law and Culture (3200 BC to 1803) (Lori Gallagher JD)
Transformative Irish Women (Lori Gallagher JD)
Celtic Spirituality
American Catholic Heritage
Other courses are offered in rotation by the Irish Scholar and other professors.
Cultural Outreach Program
Throughout the academic year, our Center offers lectures and cultural programs open to the University community and the community at large. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with other Irish Studies programs to defray the cost of travel for guests from Ireland, Northern Ireland and across the country. See our Website for more details about our cultural programming.
Lori Gallagher
My research interests cover every aspect and time period of Irish and Northern Irish history and politics, including those represented in the courses I teach. My interest in Irish Studies began with Irish literature as an undergraduate student of Dr.