Folklore - Irish Folklore

Course Outline

The Higher Diploma in Folklore gives you the opportunity to study everyday life in Ireland, in all of its rich diversity and its vast range of cultural expressions. Folklore, like its synonym popular culture, makes a study of everyday life, both past and present. Quite simply, it studies life by looking at how people lived their day-to-day lives: their houses, technologies, stories, rituals, beliefs, religion and cosmological understandings.



Folklore has a special place in the formation of Irish consciousness, in literature, and is one of the most important hallmarks of Irish culture. The Department of Folklore at UCC is ideally placed to offer unique insights into Irish life, popular culture and traditions. It is one of only two such departments in Ireland.



The study of ordinary life is at the heart of the Higher Diploma in Folklore. Years of experience in teaching and conducting original research into Irish life, traditions and folklore make the Department of Folklore and Ethnology the ideal place to study these aspects of Irish life, and make participating in the Higher Diploma in Folklore a rich and rewarding experience.



By studying for a Higher Diploma in Folklore, you will cover key topics including:

- oral literature (e.g. narrative, story, and song)

- popular religion (e.g. belief, healing, festivals)

- popular material culture (e.g. vernacular housing, and technologies past and present).



This course will give you the skills to:

- trace the development of the discipline of Irish and European folklore

- engage with various aspects of traditional and contemporary Irish culture

- identify key genres in narrative, and recount the social and cultural context for storytelling

- evaluate the ethnographic value of archival documents

- be able to research an ethnographic project through archival sources

- design an ethnographic fieldwork project

- use recording technology to conduct an ethnographic interview.

Requirements

It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4 year primary degree and who wish to study the subject Folklore intensively over one or two academic years. The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme and applicants would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.



Applicants are asked to study the modules offered before applying, to ensure that they are aware of the approach taken to the study of Folklore in the Department of Folklore and Ethnology at UCC.



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.

Assessment is carried out through a combination of continuous assessment, written assignments, and end-of-year examinations.

Higher Diploma 60 ECTS credits

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

Start Date: 8th September 2025.

Skills and Careers Information

In addition to developing archival and analytical skills, you will develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Irish popular culture, both past and present, in studying the stories, rituals, beliefs, traditions, religion and cosmological understandings of the people.



Graduates of our department have gone on to careers in:

journalism

television and radio

teaching

the heritage sector (museums, folk parks, etc.

community-based folklore and arts projects management

academia.