FOREWORD

Abstract

For nearly two decades, the wormhole connecting a small room in the attic of the Faculty of Letters in Cluj to “Ireland” has remained open. At the far end, an “Ireland” that is as real as it is “invented” year after year radiates itself hither, materially and ideally, to be painstakingly reconstructed, perused, and discussed. Over twenty years hundreds of students and dozens of professors have contributed to this unlikely entanglement that synchronises – relatively – the ends of our continent, the terms of our cultures across space and through a finely calibrated historical lens.

Carmen Borbely’s Introduction does a brilliant job of retelling the history of this unlikely venture, which many may have deemed quixotic. Kindled by the abiding passion of one person – professor John Fairlegh – for the cultures of Romania and Ireland, helped along by the efforts of professors in Ireland and Cluj, the M. A. in Irish studies continues to this day to bring together young postgraduates around the table in the small room, and to open to them the cultural horizon of Ireland.