Modern Irish History

Entry requirements

Please visit the website for further details.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The M.Phil in Modern Irish History programme is designed to provide students with knowledge of chosen areas of modern Irish history, and to develop generic research and organisational skills.

Since the programme's inception in 2005/6, our graduates have followed diverse career paths in the worlds of education, of business, of scholarship, of public service, and of the law.

The programme is open to well-qualified students of History and cognate disciplines. Prior in-depth knowledge of Irish history is not required. While the primary medium of instruction and inquiry is English, individual students are encouraged to draw on their own knowledge of Irish and of other languages to explore relevant sources and texts.

In addition to courses which develop students' contextual knowledge of Irish history and their critical, organisational, research and presentational skills, students take a special subject module in each semester. The special subject modules enable students to engage intensively with primary sources as well as with contemporary historical debates on the issues and processes under investigation.

In the course of their studies, M.Phil in Modern Irish History students will research not only in Trinity College Library, but in various archives across Ireland locating and exploring relevant primary sources which they will use both in essays, and in their dissertations. Depending on their research topics they may also visit foreign archives, and may make judicious use of digitally-provided research materials accessible via the Web. M.Phil in Modern Irish History students also have the option of undergoing an archival placement, where they can gain practical experience in organising and caring for collections of historical materials in a professional environment.

Following completion of their course work, M.Phil in Modern Irish History students undertake a research dissertation on a Modern Irish History topic of their choice, during which they receive individual guidance and feedback from appropriate members of the Department of History.