ABSTRACT
In broaching the subject of Irish Studies I would like to begin by suggesting that there is neither a global concept nor a single canon available to us. Instead, we are working with emerging formations which map out the terrain in specific ways. We can probably agree that what constitutes Irish Studies in Ireland is different from what constitutes it in Britain, in European academic institutions, in America, Australia and other parts of the Irish diaspora. Just as any syllabus or canon formation can be usefully examined rather than unthinkingly adopted, so too the differences between what constitutes Irish Studies in these disparate areas are in themselves an interesting object of enquiry. While there are relational links and significant overlap in terms of subject area and methodology, it is highly questionable whether we can attempt to extract any skeletal, essentialist core of Irish Studies.
