The website was created as part of the DAAD-funded project of the Centre for Irish-German Studies Exploring the past, enhancing the current position, and working towards 250 years of German Studies in Ireland, 2022-2024, which was led by Professor Gisela Holfter (CIGS, University of Limerick), recent and current presidents of the GSAI (Dr Joseph Twist, UCD; Associate Professor Marieke Krajenbrink, UL; Dr Linda Shortt, MU and Associate Professor Michaela Schrage-Früh, UG), and the project’s Research Assistant Natascha Guggi (UL).
The website is now further expanded thanks to one of the four strands of the 2025-2027 DAAD-funded project of the Centre for Irish-German Studies (“Irish-German Studies and its many facets: research, dialogue and promotion to enhance German Studies in Ireland in a European context”) with everybody still on board and with more colleagues (including Dr Anita Barmettler, Orla Prendergast, Associate Professor Veronica O’Regan and Marah Moloney Weissbrich) involved in this part.
It was made possible through the support and dedication of the Centre for Irish-German Studies, the German Academic Exchange Service and the German Studies Association Ireland and we would like to use this space to introduce you to all three organisations.
The Centre for Irish-German Studies (CIGS) was founded in September 1997 at the University of Limerick, Ireland and is encouraging and supporting research dealing with all aspects of Irish-German relations since then. The Centre regularly facilitates interdisciplinary research into all aspects of contacts between Ireland and the German-speaking countries and creates a forum for discussion for interested parties, in the form of seminars, guest lectures and conferences. It also encourages the compilation of Irish material on Austria, Germany and Switzerland and German language material on Ireland in addition to working on increasing the knowledge about German-speaking countries, their societies and cultures as well as Irish-German relations in the region in order to promote mutual understanding. If you want to find out more about the Centre for Irish-German Studies please visit their website.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers. The registered association was founded in 1925 and its members are German institutions of higher education and student bodies. The DAAD not only awards grants and scholarships, but also supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, assists developing countries in establishing effective universities and advises decision makers on matters of cultural, education and development policy. Its budget is derived mainly from the federal funding for various ministries, primarily the German Federal Foreign Office, but also from the European Union and a number of enterprises, organisations and foreign governments. If you want to find out more about the German Academic Exchange Service please visit their website.
The German Studies Association Ireland (GSAI) was founded in 1999 aims to improve the visibility of German Studies in Ireland by promoting the national and international standing of German Studies as well as the effective post-secondary teaching and research at third-level educations. The GSAI encourages the acquisition of German language competence and the deepening of cultural knowledge of German-speaking countries and aims to maintain links with relevant professional, educational, business and cultural bodies at national and international level. In addition, it seeks to identify and develop within third-level institutions the interests of potential learners of German and to provide a forum for discussion of subjects of concern to all involved in the post-secondary teaching of German Studies in Ireland. If you want to find out more about the German Studies Association Ireland please visit their website.
In addition we would like to mention our advisory board, at the moment consisting of Dr Úna Carthy (Atlantic Technological University), Professor Nicola McLelland (University of Nottingham, UK), Professor Antonie Alm (University of Otago, NZ), Associate Professor Brigetta M. Abel (Macalester College, US) and Associate Professor Amy Young (Central College, US).
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