Celtic Civilisation

Course Outline

Our MA in Celtic Civilisation is concerned with the history of the Celtic peoples from central Europe to Ireland, and from the early Iron Age into the Middle Ages. The focus is on Ireland's affinities with the outside world: our European inheritance in prehistoric times, and the manner in which Ireland influenced European culture in the early Christian period. Celtic literature, mythology, languages, learning, and the Celtic saints are particular topics of study.



Students are encouraged to develop their skills through a close reading of sources. You will have the opportunity to study medieval Welsh and Latin, and to take advanced courses in literary studies, palaeography, and textual editing. Provision has been made for supervised independent research to allow you to broaden and deepen your scholarly interests, while a 20,000-word thesis gives scope to postgraduates to complete a significant piece of work in a specific area of interest.



On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

- identify basic Old Irish grammatical forms, and translate sentences that illustrate their use;

- translate selected passages of Medieval Welsh prose;

- transcribe Early Irish texts from manuscript sources;

- write and present a seminar paper on an agreed topic;

-present the results of supervised research on a topic within the discipline in the form of a fully-annotated thesis.



Placement or Study Abroad Information

Upon successful completion of the Master of Arts in Celtic Civilisation, students often go on to Ph.D. degrees at home and abroad. In recent years, many of our students have received scholarships to study for further degrees in North America, Scotland, Germany and Wales, as well as in Ireland. As we have numerous formal links with higher education institutions overseas, students who avail of the opportunity to pursue their doctoral studies in UCC may elect to spend some time abroad as part of their course.

Modules

Part I (50 credits)

CC6001 Old Irish (10 credits) or

CC6011 Continuing Old Irish (10 credits)



(Part-time students: If you register in Year 1 for CC6001, in Year 2 you may substitute one elective module with CC6011.)



Plus 40 credits from:



CC6004 Medieval Welsh (10 credits)

CC6005 Research Seminar (10 credits)

CC6006 Special Topic (10 credits)

CC6007 Research Presentation (10 credits)

CC6008 Palaeography and Manuscript-based Research (10 credits)

LT6023 Beginners' Latin (10 credits)



Part II (40 credits)

CC6009 Dissertation in Celtic Civilisation (40 credits)



*CC6011 is only available as an elective module to part-time students who have completed CC6001 in Year 1.



The choice of modules is made in consultation with the student's supervisor and is subject to the approval of the Programme Coordinator. For further details and module, descriptions see the Postgraduate Academic Calendar.



Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation

Candidates who pass Part I and opt not to proceed to Part II of the Master’s programme may register for Supervised Research in Celtic Civilisation (CC6002) worth 10 credits. On successful completion of CC6002, you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation. Students must submit CC6002 (comprising an Annotated Bibliography and Project) to the Department by the second Friday in September in the same academic year or may register for CC6002 in the following academic year (part-time), following completion of Part I.



Candidates who pass Part I and opt to proceed to Part II of the Master’s programme and who fail, or fail to submit, Part II may register for CC6002 in the following academic year (part-time), and upon successful completion, will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Celtic Civilisation.



A student who subsequently applies to continue to Master’s level must do so within five academic years of successful completion of Part I.



Postgraduate Certificate in Celtic Civilisation

Candidates who pass at least 30 credits of taught modules (including CC6001 or CC6011) may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Celtic Civilisation. A student who subsequently applies to continue to a Master’s must do so within five years of successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate.

Requirements

Candidates should normally hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in a relevant discipline. Candidates who hold a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) will also be considered under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to the approval of the programme selection committee.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.



- In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.



- Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

The taught modules are generally assessed by continuous assessment and by end-of-year examinations. In paleography and the supervised-study modules, assessment is by essay/project while in the research presentation, public delivery to an academic audience is also assessed. The MA dissertation is graded by an external examiner.


Full details and regulations governing examinations for each course will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date: 8th September 2025.

Skills and Careers Information

An MA degree in Celtic Civilisation, besides preparing you for further study in the field of Celtic Studies, can also provide an additional qualification — and a mark of distinction — for students pursuing advanced degrees in such fields as classics, English, history or medieval studies. It is also a useful qualification for those seeking employment in the heritage and broadcasting sectors.