CFPs/UPCOMING CONFERECES
2026 CAIS CFP NOW AVAILABLE. Other information to follow. (Scroll down for information on other Irish Studies Conferences and events)
Canadian Association for Irish Studies
Université Laval
Quebec City
17-19 June 2026
Situated in Quebec City, Université Laval will host the 2026 conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies. Often regarded as one of North America’s most beautiful urban areas, Quebec City has twice received distinctions by UNESCO: in 1985 it was added to the World Heritage List for the preservation of its ramparts and historical city centre and in 2017 it was the first francophone municipality to be designated a City of Literature. Established as a seminary in 1663, Université Laval is the cradle of higher-level education in Canada and for Francophones in North America.
Irish Studies, the Global, and the Transnational
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversaries of both its founding as an organization and the Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, the 2026 conference of the Canadian Association for Irish Studies will explore global and transnational approaches to the study of Ireland. Hosting the event in Quebec City, we recognise the importance of Grosse Île, a former quarantine station that is located just down the St Lawrence River and was the first point of entry for hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants. For many of those cleared to continue their journey, Quebec City became a home; for others, it was only the first of many stops as they migrated further west to Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, east to the Atlantic provinces, and south to the United States. As such, the region became a site where many Irish people were first confronted with the global and the transnational.
The conference builds upon this local history, asking us to reflect upon such matters as the global and transnational aspects of an organisation like the Canadian Association for Irish Studies, the place of Irish Studies in Canada and elsewhere, the role of Canadian Irish Studies in global academic discourse, the interactions of the Irish with those from other places, and issues of concern in Ireland in comparison with how they have impacted and are handled in other polities. To begin, we could ask ourselves how the global has affected Ireland and how Ireland has affected peoples elsewhere? What are the differences between the global and the transnational in relation to Irish Studies? How does one maintain a sense of belonging to their locale in an increasingly globalised world? How does the concept of the transnational affect the national? In what ways might the study of a subject be affected by the researcher’s own experiences of the global and the transnational?
With such questions in mind, the Canadian Association for Irish Studies welcomes papers that address the topic of the global and the transnational. Possible paper topics include:
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Influences of and on Irish literature
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Networks and organisations involving Irish people
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The legacies of chain migration
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Influences on the dynamics of religion and secularism
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Neoliberal capitalism in twenty-first century Ireland
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Meanings of Irishness across geographical boundaries and historical periods
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Hyphenated identities
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Immigrant experiences in Ireland
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Place and belonging in contemporary Ireland
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Irish language and translation
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The border between Ireland and Northern Ireland pre- and post-Brexit
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Performances of Irishness at home and abroad as well of other peoples in Ireland
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The popularity of Irish music, drama, and dance
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Connections between the past and the present through commemorations and historical fiction
CAIS also welcomes other general topics concerning Irish Studies. We accept proposals for individual papers or panels (three papers and a chair) in English, Irish, or French.
The deadline for submissions is 15 February 2026. Please send abstracts of 250-300 words and enquiries to CAIS2026@ulaval.ca.
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HELP SAVE IRISH STUDIES!
CAIS members, the CAIS executive, as well as the Friends of Irish Studies in the West are looking for support in saving Irish Studies at the University of Montana.
The Irish Studies program at the University of Montana is at risk of being abolished and needs our help.
In 2006, the Irish Studies program at University of Montana was inaugurated by former Irish president Mary McAleese and now, only two decades later, is facing closure.
Please visit https://www.friendsofirishstudies.com/irishstudies to see how you can help. You can find the information packet here:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5cacd34821d5ee0001841392/t/69cbecf2beb39e7e1544e5ad/1774972146352/2026+FISW+Information+Packet.pdf
And please share this with your Irish Studies colleagues in the United States and abroad.
We would also like to direct you to an incredible project that came out of Irish Studies at UofM in 2010-2011, an oral history collection consisting of 88 interviews with local Irish community members discussing their connections with Ireland and Irish culture entitled The Gathering. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/gathering/index.2.html
Thank you for considering this important cause.
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