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Professor Claire Connolly wins Robert Rhodes Prize
- Professor Claire Connolly wins major Irish literature award for ‘Irish Romanticism: A Literary History’.
- UCC Professor of Modern English honoured by the American Conference for Irish Studies.
Professor Claire Connolly, Professor of Modern English at University College Cork, has been awarded the Robert Rhodes Prize for Books on Irish Literature by the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS) for her acclaimed monograph Irish Romanticism: A Literary History.
The Robert Rhodes Prize for Books on Irish Literature recognises an exceptional monograph on Irish literature and is awarded to a work distinguished by its depth of research, originality of argument, clarity and elegance of writing, and significant contribution to the field of Irish Studies.
Published by Cambridge University Press, Professor Connolly's Irish Romanticism: A Literary History is a major reappraisal of Irish Romanticism, exploring its cultural, political and literary significance and its enduring influence on Irish intellectual and artistic life.
Announcing the award, Professor Cóilín Parsons of Georgetown University, Chair of the judging panel, said: “In an astonishingly wide-ranging but tightly argued cultural history, Connolly makes a definitive case for the Irish romantic moment (in a broad sense) as dynamic, politically engaged, and experimental. Irish Romanticism covers much ground—gardens, graves, seas, coasts, the material book, demography, fashion, and more—and makes a convincing argument that romanticism in Ireland sets an aesthetic and political agenda that will last for centuries. It is both a sweeping and a precise book, with granular close readings, a deep understanding of European romanticism more generally, and a keen ear for the traces of contemporary critical concerns in distant conversations. Irish Romanticism represents the very best of literary scholarship in the field of Irish Studies.”
Accepting the Robert Rhodes Prize, Professor Connolly, UCC School of English and Digital Humanities, said: “Books matter a lot to those of us working in the arts and humanities. It is a tremendous relief to complete one and to see it in the world and an unexpected joy to receive such recognition. My sincere thanks to the judging panel of the Robert Rhodes prize for reading and engaging with Irish Romanticism in such detail and for their lending their authority to its cultural and historical argument.”
Professor John O'Halloran MRIA, President of UCC, said: "Congratulations to Professor Claire Connolly on this outstanding achievement. The Robert Rhodes Prize recognises scholarship of the highest calibre, and Professor Connolly is a most deserving recipient. A landmark work of literary scholarship, Irish Romanticism: A Literary History has reshaped our understanding of Irish literary history. This award is a fitting tribute to Professor Connolly's exceptional contribution to Irish Studies and to her standing as one of the leading literary scholars in the field."
English at University College Cork
English at UCC is internationally recognised for excellence in teaching, research and literary scholarship. Ranked 82nd in the world in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject, UCC is home to a vibrant community of scholars whose research continues to shape critical conversations in Irish and global literary studies.