Few cities rival the Gothic cathedrals and charming city streets of Dublin, but Boston comes close. From the Boston Celtics to its many Irish-American pubs and restaurants, Boston is steeped in Irish influence.
Boston College shares in this tradition, with a strong Irish Studies program, buildings bearing Irish names, and a unique Irish Institute.
For Mary C. Murphy, the director of BC’s Irish Institute and a professor of political science, this strong connection makes the nearly 3,000 miles and vast ocean between Boston and Ireland feel surprisingly small.
“Boston is so Irish. Boston College is so Irish. It really is everywhere,” Murphy said. “It’s the names of the buildings, it’s the stained glass in Gasson, which is of St. Patrick, and, of course, it’s the names of colleagues and students here.”
Murphy is dedicated to maintaining and strengthening BC’s connection to Ireland.
Formerly the head of the department of government and politics at University College Cork in Ireland, Murphy began her new role at BC this academic year.
The Irish Institute focuses on supporting Northern Ireland’s pursuit of peace and furthering the connection between the U.S. and Ireland. Much of this work comes in the form of partnerships and events that deepen students’ understanding of issues facing the country.
“There are many issues that affect both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” Murphy said. “And perhaps Boston College can position itself to assist Irish policymakers, Irish politicians, and various Irish communities within Ireland to think through some of these challenges and problems.”
Murphy doesn’t see these problems as all that different from those in the U.S. She believes that paying attention to the problems facing Ireland—and their similarity to those impacting the U.S.—is crucial for understanding the relationship between the two countries.
“There’s conflicts raging around the world, and even though they’re taking place miles from all of us, they are still consequential for all of us,” Murphy said. “I think it’s important that we think about the U.S.’s place in the world, and Ireland’s place in the world, and how we think about how the U.S. and Ireland relationship is going to evolve.”
In her scholarship and career, Murphy has extensively studied these sorts of relationships, as well as the impact Brexit has had on them.
Guy Beiner, the Sullivan chair in Irish Studies, believes Murphy is equipped with the skills and expertise needed to lead the Irish Institute.
“It is important for Irish studies that we engage in politics, and Professor Murphy is really the ideal person to do that,” Beiner said. “She is an expert on political science and an expert on the relations between Ireland, Northern Ireland, the European Union, as well as the United States.”
The Irish Institute has had a long history at BC. Founded in 1998 in response to the Good Friday Agreement, a political peace accord that helped resolve the violent sectarian unrest in Northern Ireland known as “The Troubles,” the Institute has continued to support peace abroad, according to Murphy.
“It was created as a way to support the developing peace process in Northern Ireland,” Murphy said. “And there was a sense that a place like BC could play a role because they could provide a space where you could have certain discussions. We could bring people together in an environment that was safe.”
Murphy doesn’t see BC’s distance from Ireland as a barrier to having a meaningful impact on the country’s politics and the pursuit of peace.
“It was envisaged as a way of supporting moves towards peace back home, but doing it from a distance,” Murphy said. “And for many years, it did just that.”
Beiner believes the longstanding bond between Boston and Ireland as a key element that sets the BC Irish Institute apart, in addition to the fact that its existence alone is unique.
“Any school can have an Irish studies program, not every place can have an institute,” Beiner said. “I think that’s special, an Irish institute that’s unique to here and it’s good that Professor Murphy is doing that.”
The Burns Library serves as a physical home for a special collection of books and manuscripts on Irish and Irish-American literature.
Christian Dupont, associate University librarian for scholarly resources and the Burns librarian, said this collection is a nod to BC’s Irish roots and its bond with the Irish studies program.
“There’s this long relationship between the Burns Library and the Irish studies program at Boston College,” Dupont said. “And in keeping with our heritage as a Jesuit school, in the 19th century when many Irish immigrants came to Boston and ascended into cultural, political, or business worlds, Boston gave back support to Boston College.”
Dupont believes these resources will be a valuable asset to Murphy’s research interests.
“For almost a century we’ve been collecting books on Irish history and its literature, art, and music,” Dupont said. “All of that material is very useful for research and the relationship with Professor Murphy and the Irish Institute.”
Murphy wants to use these resources, along with her position, to preserve and enhance BC’s Irish heritage.
“For Boston College, the Irish institute is about honoring its roots,” Murphy said. “Because this University was born out of an ambition to teach the children of working class Irish immigrants who had arrived here after the famine.”
BC’s founding was partly driven by a desire to educate the children of Boston’s Irish Catholic immigrants. Murphy believes it is important to remember this legacy.
“It is about honoring its roots, being true to its roots, and not forgetting its roots,” Murphy said. “And I admire that.”
Although BC’s demographics have long since expanded beyond Irish students, Beiner believes that everyone can benefit from learning about Irish history.
“I don’t believe that just Irish people can engage in Irish studies,” Beiner said. “Everybody can engage. Anyone can take courses about Ireland. Everyone should learn about different cultures.”
Despite this, Beiner acknowledged that some people may not immediately recognize the importance of studying Irish history.
“Some people might ask, ‘Why even deal with Ireland?’” Beiner said. “‘It’s this tiny country on the edge of Europe. There’s so many other issues, so many other big issues in the world. Why would people in the States care about Ireland?’”
The value, Beiner said, lies in the lessons Ireland can teach us about the larger world.
“Ireland is almost a laboratory where you can examine all these questions on a different scale, all these questions of environment and migration and politics,” Beiner said. “They all come together in Ireland in a really interesting way.”
Dupont argues that learning about Irish history offers valuable insights with broader applications.
“Peace efforts in Northern Ireland have been helpful in other parts of the world,” Dupont said. “So it’s not about privileging the Irish, it’s asking, ‘What lessons can we learn to apply elsewhere?’”
Murphy also sees this relevance, especially in the current global climate grappling with issues of peace and reconciliation.
“Given everything that’s happened in Ukraine, given everything that’s happening in the Middle East, it benefits all of us to be talking about these [Irish] issues,” Murphy said.
Murphy hopes the Irish Institute can provide the ideal place for students to engage in these important conversations.
“I hope BC could be a place where we can bring people together to talk about these very contested issues,” Murphy said.
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