Modern Languages as a discipline in Ireland is in a special position for a number of reasons. Ireland can boast of having the longest tradition of “institutionalised” modern language teaching in academia in the world, thanks to the first university positions in French, German, Italian and Spanish, established in Trinity College Dublin in 1776. Accordingly, we can look forward to 250 years of Modern Language Studies at third level in Ireland (and the world) in 2026.
The opening event in December 2023 in the RIA was the first of four annual events. It will be followed by an event in Queen’s University Belfast in November 2024, an event in Limerick in 2025 and finally 2026 in Trinity College Dublin, where the first chairs were established 250 years ago in 1776. The planned events will build on this major milestone and create a stronger awareness of the importance of languages. The idea for this emerged from the RIA committee for Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication and has been developed by a working group of academics and language advocates.
Please see below for the programme of the opening event and more details about #languages250.
