This March, the University of St. Michael’s College is celebrating its Celtic roots by showcasing many aspects of this rich and vibrant culture. The Basilian Fathers founded St. Michael’s College in 1852 to give the poor Irish immigrants, who comprised a significant portion of Toronto’s Catholic population at the time, access to higher education. Since 1979, St. Mike’s students could study the heritage of its pioneering students with the establishment of the Celtic Studies program. The program continues to earn international attention for its groundbreaking work, particularly in Irish scholarship.
The Celtic Studies program is bolstered through the support of its partner, The Ireland Funds of Canada, which is hosting its popular St. Patrick Day Luncheon. This year’s event will take place on March 7 at the Fairmont Royal York and will draw a large crowd. Among those in attendance will be Janice McGann, the Consul General of Ireland, Toronto. Proceeds from the luncheon will support the Ireland Funds of Canada endowment in the Celtic Studies program.
“Celtic Studies offers students an unparalleled opportunity to research and explore Ireland’s cultural legacy and its profound global influence, all of which is made possible through our partnership with the Ireland Funds of Canada. The funds raised at this year’s event will help support ambitious plans for Celtic Studies at St. Mike’s,” says Lisa Gleva, St. Mike’s Executive Director of Advancement.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canada’s Confederation. In acknowledgment of his legacy and the important historic and continuing contributions of the Irish in Canada, the University of St. Michael’s College has partnered with the Embassy of Ireland and Consulate General of Ireland, Toronto, to establish the St. Michael’s College Awards for Irish Heritage. Elementary and secondary school students are invited to submit projects that explore and celebrate Irish heritage in our city, province and country. The submission deadline is March 26.
Celtic spirit flourishes both inside and outside of the classroom as Celtic Studies boasts a very active and proud Course Union that hosts numerous co-curricular events centred around Celtic language, sport, food, and culture.
“We are a close-knit group—both the faculty and the students. It’s one of the advantages of being a part of a small program as you get to know your classmates and professors on a different level. We all have a fierce pride for Celtic studies and the language programs, and we promote them whenever possible to ensure people know about the crosscutting nature of the courses,” says Cameron Foley, Event Coordinator for the Celtic Studies Course Union. “We embody the Celtic craic (fun) and love the ancient cultures.”
March gives us the occasion to celebrate not only Ireland’s patron saint, but also the patron saint of Wales, St. David. On March 7, the Celtic Studies Course Union has organized festivities celebrating Welsh culture as part of St. Michael’s Culture Week. The festivities will include a supper in Macrina Hall of St. Basil’s Church with a menu featuring traditional potato and leek soup with homemade bread.
This semester, Celtic Studies Prof. Pa Sheehan began hosting pop-up gaeltacht events on a bi-weekly basis. The purpose of a gaeltacht is to allow the Irish language to become the default language at a set place and time.
“To be a speaker of Irish in Canada means making a deliberate effort to use the language as frequently as possible, which can admittedly be a challenging process at times. A pop-up gaeltacht makes this process much easier. These events normalize the use of Irish at a particular time and place. An open and welcoming space for anyone willing to use the Irish language,” says Sheehan.
Upcoming gaeltachts are scheduled for Friday, March 7 and 21 at 7 p.m. at PJ O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Restaurant.
On Friday, March 14 all are welcome to join in the céilí held in Charbonnel Lounge on at 6:30 p.m. March’s celebrations will be rounded out an Irish language movie screening hosted by the Toronto branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, a social and cultural organization that promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. A showing of Kneecap is scheduled for Friday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in AH100.
For incoming students wishing to do a deeper dive into Irish Gaelic culture, St. Michael’s will be offering a new experiential learning course for the 2025 Fall term. Students enrolled in this course will have the opportunity to travel to Ireland and be immersed in the rich culture that studying Irish language, traditional Irish singing and dancing, sport, media, drama, and contemporary Irish literature (in English and in Irish).
Learn more about our Celtic Studies program.