Irish and Spanish

Irish and Spanish at Queen's University of Belfast brings together two languages with rich and distinctive cultural traditions, each offering a different kind of encounter with language, identity, and history. Irish is one of the oldest living languages in Europe, central to Celtic culture and Gaelic identity, and carrying a literary and poetic tradition that stretches from early medieval manuscripts to the contemporary revival. Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages, opening access to the literatures, histories, and cultures of Spain and the vast and varied societies of Latin America.

This four-year full-time degree, which includes a year abroad, gives you intensive tuition in both languages.

You will develop proficiency in Irish and Spanish alongside engagement with their respective cultural and literary worlds. On the Irish side, you can choose from modules covering film-making, the short story, poetry, Gaelic identity, mythology, and Scottish Gaelic. On the Spanish side, you will encounter a wide variety of literary, historical, social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of Spanish-speaking countries across the globe.

The year abroad is integral to the programme, giving you the immersive experience in both language communities that is essential to achieving genuine fluency and deep cultural understanding.

A typical entry tariff of 152 points reflects a moderately selective admissions standard. Graduates from Irish and Spanish programmes move into careers in translation and interpreting, teaching, the arts, journalism, cultural organisations, academia, government, and international organisations. The unusual combination of languages gives graduates a distinctive profile that is particularly well suited to roles in Celtic cultural institutions, Irish governmental bodies, and organisations working across Spanish-speaking regions.

Many continue to postgraduate research in one or both languages.