Fellowships and Grants
As a global research hub for Irish Studies, the Keough-Naughton Institute seeks to cultivate world-class, multidisciplinary research related to the island of Ireland and its diaspora. The institute offers a number of fellowships and research grants for visiting scholars from outside of the University of Notre Dame, including early career and established scholars. These opportunities range from grants that facilitate research within the Heburgh Libraries' world-class Irish Studies collections to postdoctoral fellowships that create pathways for early-career scholars.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
National Endowment for Humanities Fellowships
With the support of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Challenge Grant, the Institute holds an annual faculty fellow competition. For over 20 years, the Keough-Naughton Institute National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship has enabled an outstanding scholar to continue his or her research while in full-time residence at the Institute. The Fellowship is open to scholars in any area of Irish Studies and offers a stipend of $60,000.
Starting in 2025, the NEH Fellowship will be a three year appointment with a new fellow joining the institute every 18 months.
A new call for an NEH fellow is now open with a deadline of Friday, May 15, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications will be received through Interfolio at the link below.
Global Irish Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Keough-Naughton Institute invites applications for a three-year postdoctoral fellowship in Irish Studies. This fellowship is intended to encourage the development of Irish Studies in regions that have traditionally been underrepresented in the profession, and thus is open exclusively to scholars of any nationality who have received their PhD from institutions outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland. Scholars working in any area of Irish Studies are encouraged to apply.
The deadline for this fellowship has now passed.
"Parnell" Stipendiary Research Fellowship in Irish Studies
Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge marked the centenary of the death of Charles Stewart Parnell by establishing the Parnell Fellowship in 1992, which allows visiting Irish academics to spend a year in Cambridge focusing on Irish Studies. Magdalene College has now joined with the University of Notre Dame to provide an additional three-year junior research fellowship in Irish studies, with eighteen months based in Magdalene College, Cambridge, and the succeeding 18 months based at the University of Notre Dame within the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies. Applications are invited from graduates of any university and the post is regarded as an early career appointment.
The deadline for this fellowship has now passed.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame invites expressions of interest from early-career researchers who wish to apply for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA). Located within the Keough School of Global Affairs, our Institute is committed to fostering interdisciplinary, globally engaged scholarship at the intersection of Irish Studies, history, politics, literature, religion, and peacebuilding.
Research Grants
Keough-Naughton Library Research Award in Irish Studies
The Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and Notre Dame Global jointly sponsor the Keough-Naughton Library Research Awards in Irish Studies for Visiting Scholars. These awards provide grant funding to assist scholars who travel to the Notre Dame campus to use the collections of the Hesburgh Libraries for research in all aspects of Irish studies. Starting in 2025, scholars conducting research in the Irish language will be able to apply for an Award for Research in the Irish Language, as part of the Irish Language Initatives, in the College of Arts and Letters.
2025-2026 Deadline: November 3, 2025.
Legacy Project Research Grants
The Clingen Family Center for the Study of Modern Ireland is pleased to offer a short-term, residential research grant to support use of the Legacy Project archive maintained by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in collaboration with the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society, with support from the Humanity United Foundation. One award will be available per academic year, and is intended to support the cost of travel and accommodation for a short visit to the University of Notre Dame. Timing and duration are open to negotiation during the academic year in which the grant is awarded, and will be subject to approval.
2025-2026 Deadline: October 1, 2025.