Irish Institute of Boston College

09/04/2026

U.S.–Ireland relations will be in focus next week:

PRESDIENT Donald Trump is expected to meet President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheal Mar...

09/01/2026

How did sport help generations of Irish immigrants maintain connections to home while finding their place in American life?

Ireland and America: How sport became one of most important ways Irish immigrants maintained ties to home and found their place in US society

08/25/2026

A Festival of Irish & American History, Culture & Politics!

We’re delighted that the Irish Institute is a sponsor of the 2026 Kennedy Summer School Official Opening Night this Thursday, August 27, in New Ross!

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, will officially open the Kennedy Summer School, followed by a fireside conversation with Professor Mary C. Murphy, Director of the Irish Institute at Boston College.

We’re proud to support an event that brings together voices from both sides of the Atlantic to explore Irish and American history, culture, politics, and the ties that continue to connect our two countries.

https://www.kennedysummerschool.ie/

The 2026 Kennedy Summer School is set to be hosted in the ancestral hometown and homestead of President John F Kennedy, New Ross in County Wexford. BOOK NOW

08/18/2026

We’re pleased to share a new blog by Mary C. Murphy, Director of the Irish Institute, published by the Centre on Constitutional Change:

“The Irish Unity Debate in the US: The Limits of American Leverage”
https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/blog/2026/irish-unity-debate-united-states-limits-american-leverage

Centre on Constitutional Change

08/13/2026

UK in a Changing Europe has produced an interesting and timely explainer on the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK and considers whether it is used as an asylum route:
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/the-common-travel-area-cta-and-asylum/

08/12/2026

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Ireland's Music Festival) came to Belfast for the first time and left on Sunday. It was a hugely successful and positive experience for the city:

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann came to Belfast for the first time and drew a crowd that may make it the biggest ever held. It also put Ulster Scots music in front of an all-island audience and got a DUP deputy First Minister speaking Irish. Ten things the week told us, and one it didn't.

08/04/2026

This past March, the Irish Institute of BC welcomed Sam McBride and Fintan O’Toole for For and Against Irish Unity, a thought-provoking public conversation examining one of the most significant political questions facing Ireland today.

Rather than seeking easy answers, the discussion emphasized the importance of respectful dialogue, thoughtful preparation, and mutual understanding as Ireland continues to grapple with questions about its future.

08/04/2026

BC professors weighed in on America's 250th milestone.

History Professor Heather Cox Richardson discussed democracy, Boston College Law School Professor Kent Greenfield wrote on the Supreme Court, and Irish Institute of Boston College Director Mary C. Murphy reflected on US-Ireland relations. https://on.bc.edu/m/US250News

07/29/2026

Looking back on one of the Irish Institute's events from February 2026, one observation continues to resonate:

“Reforms in Northern Ireland may not have been successful without ethically motivated Irish-American political leaders.”

During his lecture, The U.S., Irish America & the Irish Peace Process: Preliminary Reflections, Observations & Recollections, Brendan O'Leary, Lauder Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, reflected on the critical role that principled leadership, diplomacy, and Irish-American engagement played in advancing peace in Northern Ireland.

At the Irish Institute, we are proud to bring together leading voices whose scholarship and experience deepen our understanding of Ireland's history while illuminating the issues that continue to shape our world today.

07/24/2026

Our friends University of Notre Dame are supporting the , one of Ireland's premier intellectual gatherings. Today, the delegates are discussing Irish neutrality:

Alternative to UN is ‘return to disorder, chaos and carnage of war’, Ivana Bacik tells MacGill summer school