Just a sophomore, Caelin Miltko jumped headfirst into Irish Studies and is maximizing the opportunities available to students in the Irish Studies program. An English, Irish Language and Literature supplementary major with a minor in Journalism, Caelin came to Notre Dame to major in Irish. Reading works by W.B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney and Bobby Sands at her Montana high school inspired a deep interest in the subject and her research indicated Notre Dame was the best place to pursue that interest.
Irish language classes and an Introduction to Folklore class with Professor Diarmuid Ó Giolláin, concurrent professor of Irish Language and Literature and Anthropology, led to an internship this past summer with the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin. Caelin spent eight weeks under the direction of head archivist Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, as they worked to digitize their collection and update an online catalogue.
Utilizing a grant from the Center for the Study of Languages and Culture, Caelin moved from UCD to rural Donegal to spend three weeks in an intensive language and cultural immersion program, including living one week with a host family in the Gaeltacht.
Caelin realizes her good fortune to be only a sophomore and had these experiences with the expectation of more.
She continues her studies this semester with classes with visiting fellow John Kelly and Associate Professor of Irish Language and Literature Amy Mulligan. Caelin is looking into potential projects which combine her majors - writing for an Irish language newspaper and comparing Irish with minor languages, including two Native American languages spoken near her family’s home.