29th October 2001

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Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney today opens the University of Ulster’s £3 million Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages, the first Irish cultural research centre of its kind in the world. The Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Sean Farren will also speak at the launch.

The groundbreaking Academy is funded under the Department for Employment and Learning’s SPUR initiative.

The Academy’s research activities are centred at the University’s Magee campus, but its postgraduate teaching and cultural events will also include Belfast, Coleraine and Jordanstown. It provides a dynamic and dedicated, research-focused environment which will enable the University of Ulster to help transform the way in which heritages, culture and tradition are perceived in Ireland and further afield.

Professor Gerry McKenna, Vice-Chancellor of the University said:

“The Academy brings a dynamic new approach to the study of Irish cultural heritages and it is a very significant initiative for the University and for Northern Ireland. I commend the Department for Employment and Learning for their foresight in funding this initiative at this significant time in our history. This is the sort of insightful and forward looking research funding that is needed if we are to allow our universities to perform to our full potential.”

“I also warmly thank Atlantic Philanthropies for its significant support for the Academy and for other initiatives at the University. This support for cross-cultural work means we can carry out high quality research in these disciplines to a level that was not previously possible. Our cultural heritages have a profound impact upon our economy and thus on our prosperity as a community. Recent changes in the political landscape means that there are new opportunities to build our understanding of our own and other cultures and to improve the development of Northern Ireland as region.”

Professor Brian Graham, Director of the Academy said:

“Our primary function is to conduct integrated research projects in the field of Irish and Northern Irish cultural heritages and to explore the richness and diversity of the cultures and traditions of the whole island. The Academy will also address our relationships with our neighbours in Scotland and Britain, and within the larger global community. Through the Academy, our scholarship and research expertise in History, Celtic Studies and English is brought together, creating a synergy and adding an exciting new dimension to the study of Ireland's rich and diverse cultural heritages across these disciplines.”

Professor Graham added:

“The Academy’s work addresses issues such as history and place, Irish language and literature, Irish women’s writing, Irish literary history in English, heritage planning and management, and folklore studies. Such integrated research work has never been done before on this scale.”

The £3 million investment has funded eight senior academic appointments including three new professorships. A further three posts will be filled by the end of 2001. All these staff are based at the University's Magee campus, representing a significant boost to the University's presence in the north-west.

Beyond its research focus, the Academy will undertake the development of new taught and virtual postgraduate degree programmes, together with Masters and Doctoral degrees by research.

Further information on the Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages is available on their website:

http://www.arts.ulst.ac.uk/academy/

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk