Irish - Old & Middle Irish - Research

The MLitt is a two-year, full-time (or four-year, part-time) postgraduate programme of research assessed by a major thesis of at least 40,000 words.



Staff in Old and Middle Irish and Celtic Studies have wide-ranging areas of interests, and welcome applications to undertake research in all of these.

The usual minimum qualification is a primary degree in Irish, Celtic Studies, or similar, with a Second Class Honours, Grade 2 (or an equivalent international qualification).



Many successful applicants already hold a Master's degree.



Admission to the MLitt is at the discretion of the potential supervisor and the Head of Discipline. Initial enquiries should be made to the Head of Discipline.

Course Code: MLITT-OAMI

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System

Course Code: MLITT-OAMI



MLitt (Old and Middle Irish), full-time

MLitt (Old and Middle Irish), part-time

Research Areas


Dr Clodagh Downey; Old and Middle Irish language; medieval Irish literature, including heroic, mythological and king-tales, and dinnsheanchas.


Dr Graham Isaac; Old and Middle Welsh poetry; comparative Celtic and Indo-European linguistics; ancient continental Celtic languages; general linguistics.


Prof. Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha (Head of Discipline); Old and Middle Irish language; editing of prose and verse texts; literary history, including issues of genre, hybridisation, authorship, patronage and provenance; early medieval Irish history.