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Paula Meehan accepts award at Irish Poetry Society Reception.

Enriching the international dimensions of education

The Center for Irish Studies

Honoring our roots

Archbishop John Ireland, the Irish-born founder of the University of St. Thomas, believed education was how the Irish and Irish-American communities could best honor their heritage, and secure their future.

In March 1996, the university formally established the Center for Irish Studies. Since then, St. Thomas has flourished as a national presence for scholarship and programs devoted to Irish culture, literature and the arts. Our Irish roots can be found throughout campus, including the widely-recognized New Hibernia Review and the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry, as well as the Celtic Collection, which was started back in 1917.

The Center for Irish Studies advances teaching and scholarship in Irish studies for students, faculty and friends of the university through its publications, instruction and public programs. The Center enriches the international dimensions of education at St. Thomas and affirms the many historic and contemporary bonds between the university, Ireland, and the Irish-American community.

Gerald Dawe

Gerald Dawe Wins the 28th O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award

The Center for Irish Studies and College of Arts and Sciences announced Gerald Dawe as the recipient of the 28th Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry. The only prize of its type in the world, the O’Shaughnessy Award is granted to a poet resident in Ireland who makes significant contributions to the country’s cultural landscape and, with thanks to the generosity of the O’Shaughnessy family, to the U.S. as well.

 

Our Contributions to the Community

  • New Hibernia Review
  • Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry
  • The Celtic Collection
  • New Hibernia Review

    New Hibernia Review is a multidisciplinary journal of Irish Studies and the cornerstone of the Center for Irish Studies. It offers plainly argued writing on Irish life and culture for the scholar and lay reader alike. Through its journal, the Center actively seeks to present a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, in addition to the traditional literary and historical study of the Irish culture and people.

    Each issue also includes an opening memoir or informal essay, a suite of new poems from an Irish poet and book reviews. Content contributors can contact the editor for more information.

    Subscribe today:

    Personal Subscriptions

    Project Muse

    Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry

    The Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry was established in 1997 to honor outstanding Irish poets. Since then, the Center for Irish Studies has invited and celebrated many world-renowned poets with the support of the St. Thomas and Twin Cities communities.

    The prize honors both the literary achievement of the poet and their contribution to the writing community in Ireland. Honored poets have visited St. Thomas for up to a week where they meet with students, visit classes and take part in a variety of public events. The visit concludes with a free public reading on campus.

    View past winners

    The Celtic Collection

    The Celtic Collection at the University of St. Thomas contains over 17,000 titles, making it one of the most significant Irish archives in the United States.

    It includes:

    • The O'Shaughnessy Collection of Irish Poetry
    • The O'Shaughnessy Prize and Traffic Street Press
    • The Irish American Cultural Institute Papers
    • The Literary Magazine Collection

    The collection was established on the eve of Irish independence in 1917. The Ancient Order of the Hibernians of Minnesota made the first donation to the collection of 500 documents mostly related to Irish politics in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since then, the collection has grown significantly, including rare Irish poetry volumes, first editions from several small art presses of the early 20th century and much more.

    Explore the Collection

    New Hibernia Review

    New Hibernia Review is a multidisciplinary journal of Irish Studies and the cornerstone of the Center for Irish Studies. It offers plainly argued writing on Irish life and culture for the scholar and lay reader alike. Through its journal, the Center actively seeks to present a variety of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, in addition to the traditional literary and historical study of the Irish culture and people.

    Each issue also includes an opening memoir or informal essay, a suite of new poems from an Irish poet and book reviews. Content contributors can contact the editor for more information.

    Subscribe today:

    Personal Subscriptions

    Project Muse

    Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry

    The Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry was established in 1997 to honor outstanding Irish poets. Since then, the Center for Irish Studies has invited and celebrated many world-renowned poets with the support of the St. Thomas and Twin Cities communities.

    The prize honors both the literary achievement of the poet and their contribution to the writing community in Ireland. Honored poets have visited St. Thomas for up to a week where they meet with students, visit classes and take part in a variety of public events. The visit concludes with a free public reading on campus.

    View past winners

    The Celtic Collection

    The Celtic Collection at the University of St. Thomas contains over 17,000 titles, making it one of the most significant Irish archives in the United States.

    It includes:

    • The O'Shaughnessy Collection of Irish Poetry
    • The O'Shaughnessy Prize and Traffic Street Press
    • The Irish American Cultural Institute Papers
    • The Literary Magazine Collection

    The collection was established on the eve of Irish independence in 1917. The Ancient Order of the Hibernians of Minnesota made the first donation to the collection of 500 documents mostly related to Irish politics in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since then, the collection has grown significantly, including rare Irish poetry volumes, first editions from several small art presses of the early 20th century and much more.

    Explore the Collection

    Leadership

    Headshot of Dr. David Gardiner. James Silas Rogers speaking into a microphone. Headshot of Thomas Dillon Redshaw.

    Dr. David Gardiner

    Dr. David Gardiner joined St. Thomas in 2019 as the Director of Irish Studies and Editor of the New Hibernia Review.

    Bio

    James Silas Rogers

    James Silas Rogers is the Director Emeritus of Irish Studies.

    Thomas Dillon Redshaw

    Thomas Dillon Redshaw is the Founding Director and Honorary Editor of New Hibernia Review. He retired from St. Thomas in 2012.

    Contact Us

    Questions? Feel free to reach out to learn more about the Center for Irish Studies.

    Mailing Address

    Mail #5008
    University of St. Thomas
    2115 Summit Avenue
    St. Paul, MN 55105

    Campus Location

    We are located in room 122 of the O'Shaughnessy Education Center