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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Masters
5. Early and Medieval Irish

Course Fact File

Code	MAEMI
Duration	1 Year Full-time; 2 Years Part-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time, Part-Time
Qualifications	MA
NFQ Level	Level 9
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.
Start Date	8 September 2025

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.

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)

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.

Course Practicalities

For the full-time one-year MA in Early & Medieval Irish option, you are required to choose modules to the value of 50 credits. Most modules have a value of 10 credits and involve weekly classes for the duration of the academic year (24 weeks). Depending on options, a full-time student will have a minimum of 5 classes per week (though many will also contain weekly assignments); students may also choose to attend the two-day paleography workshop held annually in early September. For one-on-one supervised studies, and for the 40-credit dissertation, students are expected to meet with their supervisors on a regular basis.

After you have chosen the modules you wish to study, you are expected to attend regularly and participate fully in taught classes. Attendance at Old Irish language classes and the weekly Department research seminar is compulsory. In areas of supervised study, supervisors for the relevant modules will be organised by the teaching staff of the Department. The thesis topic and supervisor will be chosen by you in consultation with members of staff. The MA in Early and Medieval Irish entails a lot of reading and study and the library facilities at UCC are an excellent resource for our students.

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.

Part-time option

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

Why Choose This Course

The MA in Early and Medieval Irish offers great training in the language, literature, and culture of medieval Ireland, providing opportunities for postgraduates to study the medieval Irish language in-depth, as well as receiving training in Latin and medieval Welsh. You can develop your scholarly potential by directed independent study and taught modules, working with staff who are internationally recognised in areas such as medieval Irish Christianity, mythology, paleography, textual editing, and legendary history.

In addition, MA students will join a large cohort of international and Irish students already engaged in postgraduate studies in the Department of Early and Medieval Irish at UCC.

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.

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.

Requirements

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.

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Please detail your research interest(s).
• Please add the name and email address of two referees.

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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