Some men see things the way they are and ask, ‘Why?’ ”I dream things that never were, and ask ‘Why not?’”
George Bernard Shaw

The William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston is the only Irish studies academic and cultural program in the Southwest. The Center is listed as one of the top 10 Irish Studies programs in the country by IrishCentral.com.

The Center represents people who are enrolled in the Irish Studies minor, the graduate concentration in the Master in Liberal Arts Program and those interested in Irish topics, including credit and audit students enrolled in the Irish Studies Program and the University at large.

The Center serves as a focal point for the study of Irish history, literature, politics, law, language, music, art, drama, culture and society.  The Center enhances the academic mission of the University by concentrating on a broad and coherent study of Ireland and Northern Ireland within an integrating framework of many academic departments and community organizations.

Additionally, the Center for Irish Studies serves the University and the community through its Cultural Outreach Series of lectures and cultural events. The Center hosts nine to 12 free cultural events each year, highlighting Irish, Northern Irish and Scots Irish topics, such as archaeology, art, music, dance, history, literature, politics, theology and church history, science and technology, commerce, the peace process, current events and the Irish language.

Students who take Irish Studies courses are Irish, of Irish or Scots Irish descent or interested in Irish topics; many have traveled in Ireland and Northern Ireland or desire to study abroad in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The same interests apply to those who attend the Center for Irish Studies Cultural Outreach Programs.