Institute of Irish Studies Bursary Fund

The Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool is the only one of its kind in the world.

Its foundations lie in the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement to encourage greater understanding and mutually enriching contact between the two islands. The Institute was consequently established in 1988. It is unique in terms of scholarship and outreach and is a specialist department in a vibrant Russell Group university situated centrally in the city of Liverpool. Liverpool is renowned as a city that has been shaped for centuries by the Irish diaspora.

The Institute’s internationally recognised excellence in teaching, research and outreach beyond academia, including playing a major role in the Northern Ireland peace process, was recognised by the Irish government in 2007 through the creation of an endowed chair in Irish Studies.

The high esteem in which the Institute is held is reflected in the calibre of public lecturers it regularly attracts. In recent years, speakers have included President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and former Irish Presidents Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson, along with world-leading academics and significant cultural and political figures such as the late Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. In October 2019, the Institute hosted the inaugural Annual Seamus Heaney Lecture with the full approval of the Board of Estate of Seamus Heaney.

In 2017, the Institute’s contribution to British and Irish Relations and its excellence in teaching and research was highlighted by the announcement of the Joint Patronage of His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, and President of Ireland, HE Michael D. Higgins.

Supporting students

To build on this continued success, plan for the future and offer student support, the Institute has launched a new fundraising appeal, to help students by offering bursaries of £2,000 towards their fees.  

By donating to this fund, you will be helping these students to realise their ambition of gaining a unique education at this world-class teaching and research Institute.

For further information about the fund or the work of the Institute of Irish Studies, please contact the Institute via: g.diver@liverpool.ac.uk or call +44 (0)151 794 3837.