Celtic Club celebrates first St. Patrick’s Day with cultural discussion
Samantha Correia
Staff Writer
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day this year, look no further than Bridgewater State University’s own Celtic Club, a brand-new club that is dedicated to celebrating everything related to Ireland.
The club works closely with the Irish Studies program to help people learn about Ireland and promote Irish and Celtic culture. The club has just started this semester, and already has its first event scheduled for later in March.
Even if you don’t know anything about Irish history or culture, the Celtic Club is a great place to learn something new and meet new people.
The Celtic Club is run by senior president Christina Worton, who had lead the club from the beginning.
When asked about how this new club was initiated, Worton stated, “Ellen Scheible approached me and asked if I would be interested…so as a lover of Irish and Celtic studies, I said yes!”
Scheible, assistant professor of English, is the coordinator of the Irish Studies program. Students can also minor in Irish Studies, which gives students the “opportunity to learn about Irish literature, history, and culture,” according to a statement about the program in the university catalog.
The Irish Studies program frequently sponsors events on campus, like the book reading by Irish novelist Paul Murray back in February.
The Celtic Club is still in its provisional phase, but hopefully with enough support from students and faculty, the club will reach official BSU club status next year.
Worton has a consistent group of students who have been gathering to discuss the future plans of the club.
The Celtic Club first started meeting in February and has met every few weeks since then. The club usually meets on Mondays, though all meetings are posted on the group Facebook page, under “Bridgewater State University Celtic Club.” The first event held by the club is on March 28 from 6-8pm in the Hanover Duxbury Room in the RCC. All students and staff are welcome to come.
At the event, members of the Celtic Club will be leading a discussion, with a PowerPoint presentation, on different topics related to Irish history, culture, and heritage, both past and present.
About the future of the club, Worton says “our goal is to just set the foundations of the club right now. With the new Irish Studies program, we expect to see a lot more students with interest in Celtic studies. This is a fun way to learn about Ireland and Celtic history without being bogged down with homework and classes.”
Because the Celtic Club is closely involved with the Irish Studies Program, and other related clubs, such as the Irish Steppers, students have many options when it comes to learning about Irish culture and history in a fun and informative way. Many students involved in the Celtic Club want to connect to their own Irish heritage and family background.
With any questions about the Celtic Club or future meetings, students can contact Christina Worton at cworton@student.bridgew.edu. For information about the Irish Studies program, contact Dr. Ellen Scheible at ellen.scheible@bridgew.edu.
Samantha Correia is a staff writer for The Comment.
