Irish - Early & Medieval Irish

Course Outline

Our MA in Early & Medieval Irish is concerned with Early Irish language and literature in the period from 600AD to 1200AD and focuses on the study of language, grammar, texts, and their historical and literary contexts. Our students are encouraged to develop their skills in close reading of sources, and in close analysis of the medieval Irish language. You will also 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.



Placement or Study Abroad Information

Upon successful completion of the Early and Medieval Irish MA, our students often pursue a PhD degree at home or 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 at UCC may elect to spend some time abroad as part of their course.



Postgraduate Diploma in Early and Medieval Irish

Applicants who pass Part I and opt not to proceed to Part II of the Master’s programme may register for Supervised Research (CC6002) (10 credits) and, on successful completion of CC6002, be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Early and Medieval Irish. Students must submit CC6002 (comprising of 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.



Applicants 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 Early and Medieval Irish.



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



Postgraduate Certificate in Early and Medieval Irish

Applicants who pass at least 30 credits of taught modules may opt to exit the programme and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Early and Medieval Irish.



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

• translate selected Early Irish texts;

• comment grammatically on particular words, phrases, or sentences within these texts;

• transcribe Early Irish texts from manuscript sources;

• write and present a research paper on an agreed topic;

• translate selected Medieval Welsh texts;

• submit the results of supervised research in a dissertation of 20,000 words, with full scholarly apparatus.

Modules

Part I (50 credits)

• CC6003 Early Irish Texts (10 credits)



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)

• CC6011 Continuing Old Irish (10 credits)*

• LT6023 Beginners' Latin (10 credits)



Part II (40 credits)

• CC6010 Dissertation in Early and Medieval Irish (40 credits)

Applicants should normally hold a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in Early and Medieval Irish, Celtic Civilisation or Gaeilge. Graduates from cognate disciplines will also be considered.



Applicants 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.



All potential applicants must have previously studied Medieval Irish at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.



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.

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 palaeography 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.



The part-time option is taught during weekday working hours over two years.

Start Date: 8 September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

An MA degree in Early and Medieval Irish, 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.