Connecting Notre Dame’s Irish community: The Wild Geese Project

Eight smiling students pose on a dark sports field. One is on shoulders, while others hold a green, white, and orange Irish flag. — Students from the Notre Dame Gaelic Athletic Association, a club whose members play the ancient Irish sports of hurling and Gaelic football on campus.

For a small but notable subset of Notre Dame’s population, being “Irish” is more than just a mascot or a historic nickname — it’s a living, breathing identity. But for students moving from Ireland to South Bend for their college years, the transition to Notre Dame involves leaving behind family, community and the familiar comforts and traditions of home.

To help Irish students, as well as faculty and staff from Ireland, feel more at home on campus, the Keough School’s Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies created The Wild Geese Project. Drawing inspiration from the historic “Wild Geese” — Irish soldiers and emigrants of the 17th and 18th centuries — the group provides a welcoming network of support for Notre Dame community members from Ireland.

Watch: the Wild Geese Project

Watch the video below to learn more about the Wild Geese Project including everything from its competitive Gaelic sports matches to lively conversation in the Irish language.

Originally published by Renée LaReau at keough.nd.edu on May 12, 2026.