Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Limerick will host a day-long academic seminar on Wednesday 21 May 2025, entitled Catholic Studies in Ireland: Challenging, Constructive & Critical Voices. Organised by the Irish Institute for Catholic Studies (IICS), this free, public event will bring together leading scholars and experts from Ireland and beyond to explore a diverse range of themes within Catholic Studies, including education, media, philosophy, history, and more.
The seminar will feature a dynamic programme of talks, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and more. A key highlight of the event will be keynote lectures from two internationally renowned scholars: Prof. Fáinche Ryan of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and Prof. Liam Gearon of the University of Oxford. Prof. Ryan, who is the President of the European Society of Catholic Theology and a specialist in ecclesiology and early Irish Christian thought, will deliver a lecture titled ‘The Book of Kells and the Theology of the Early Irish Church’. In the afternoon, Prof. Gearon— founder of Oxford’s Philosophy, Religion and Education Research Group and leading scholar in religious education—will present ‘The Enlightenment and Its Impact on Religion’. Additionally, 24 distinguished academics will present their research and insights throughout the day. The seminar will also mark the launch of Prof. Gearon’s Oxford Handbook of Religion and Education (2025).
Discussing the seminar, Dr Patricia Kieran, Director of the IICS said:
“The Irish Institute for Catholic Studies at MIC is delighted and honoured to welcome researchers, academics, educators, postgraduate students and members of the public to a one-day seminar on Catholic Studies in Ireland. The seminar title ‘Catholic Studies in Ireland: Challenging, Constructive and Critical Voices’ showcases contemporary interdisciplinary research on the nascent academic area of Catholic Studies in Ireland. As an interdisciplinary area, Catholic Studies is in critical dialogue with the intellectual contribution of Catholicism to philosophical, theological, educational, and social debates, past and present. It critically explores the expression and embodiment of Catholic themes and sensibility in various subjects, including fine arts, literature, architecture, media, and music.”
Full details on the event and more information on the IICS can be found here.
