Centre for Irish-German Studies

The Centre for Irish-German Studies was founded in September 1997 at University of Limerick. Being launched at the first Limerick Conference for Irish-German Studies,  we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Centre at our 19^th conference in September 2022 – see here for an overview of our work in the first 25 years. 

The main aim of the Centre is to encourage and support research dealing with all aspects of Irish-German relations. The term 'German' in the Centre's name is to be understood in a linguistic rather than a geographical sense. In particular, the centre aims to:

• Encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary research into all aspects of contact between Ireland and the German-speaking countries

• Create a forum for discussion for interested parties, in the form of seminars, guest lectures and conferences

• Co-ordinate and encourage the compilation of Irish material on Austria, Germany and Switzerland and German language material on Ireland as a resource base for researchers

• Increase knowledge about German-speaking countries, their societies and cultures as well as Irish-German relations in the region, and further promote mutual understanding

The director of the Centre is Professor Gisela Holfter. Members of the Centre are academic staff in both University of Limerick and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, who work in the area of Irish-German Studies.

The Centre also has a number of external members working in other Irish, German, British and Italian institutions.