‘Irish Studies is life-changing’
The connection between the Irish community and Montreal has been significant from the days the first settlers arrived in the in the 17th and 18th centuries. In celebration of Montreal’s 375th anniversary, the City has designated one cultural community to be celebrated each month of 2017. March is the month of the Irish, and appropriately so given that St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, and that this year’s parade will mark the 194th in its history.
We caught up with Robin Brodrick, a student at Concordia’s School of Irish Studies, to discuss growing up Irish in Montreal and what impact the School has had on her.
“My involvement (with the local Irish community) began when I was about 5 years old when I started Irish dancing with the Bernadette Short School of Irish Dancing,” says Brodrick. “I then became more involved with a few Irish societies like St. Patrick’s Society and Innisfail Social and Sports Club, and then the United Irish Societies.
But were it not for the School of Irish Studies, Brodrick might never have gotten so deeply connected with Montreal’s Irish community.
“I have learned so much about my own Irish ancestry since enrolling in the School of Irish Studies,” she says. “It was thanks to their history courses that I learned that my mother’s family, who settled in the Laurentians, were in fact of Irish decent, coming from County Monaghan! All my life, it was believed that my maternal side came from Scotland!”
Brodrick was attracted by the School’s diverse course offerings. “When I was first thinking about University, I was not entirely sure of what I wanted to pursue because I had a variety of interests. I loved history, politics, culture, language and sports, and one of the beauties of Irish Studies is that it is multi-disciplinary, meaning that I could combine several of my interests into a unique approach to analyze issues that our society face today.”
That analysis and her ability to enagage with her community and speak out on behalf of the less privileged helped earn her a privileged role in this year’s St. Patrick’s celebrations as a member of the Parade Court.
“In respect to my community involvement and Irish heritage, the two have gone hand in hand,” she says. “There has been an extraordinary legacy within Irish Montreal of their contributions and it was (and still is) something that I wanted to continue. I credit my early participation within the Irish Community for a keen spark in community service. In recognition of my volunteering, I have been awarded two awards I hold dearly, the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec’s Youth Medal as well as the William K. Joseph Neighbour of the Year Award in NDG.”
Brodrick had to participate in a public speaking competition, followed by a presentation in which she chose to discuss Thomas D’Arcy McGee’s contributions to the Irish community. Then comes the judges deliberation followed by a final, unprepared question round to determine the members of the Court. “(That last round) is a measure to see how well contestants can think on their feet” Brodrick says.
Brodrick and her Court members will spend the following year as ambassadors for the Irish community of Montreal, whose duties include attending events, giving interviews, and visiting sick children in hospital.
Brodrick credits the School of Irish Studies for helping her to achieve her goals.
“I would say that Irish Studies is life changing,” she says. “My enrolling in Irish Studies has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. The School has not only supported me academically; they have become a second family to me. They have even encouraged me financially through their generous scholarship programs. I am incredibly honoured to be part of the Irish Studies community.”
“With the generosity of the scholarship programs like The Tuition Remission program and in-course scholarships, it has helped alleviated pressures on students like me, so that we can to focus more of our energies on school work and research interests, without external worries. I am hoping that I can go to Ireland in the near future to study the relationship between culture and leisure and to immerse myself in the cultures and language of Ireland!”