For a University with Ireland in its DNA, a presence on the Emerald Isle is only natural. But Notre Dame doesn't just have a presence in Ireland; it has a relationship with it.

In East and West: Notre Dame in Ireland, we take a look at how the University is making an impact in Dublin and in the western part of the country. The first episode of the series drops in March.

East and West: Notre Dame in Ireland (Trailer)

There’s a traditional Irish blessing that begins, “May the road rise up to meet you.”

It’s meant to convey well-wishes for a smooth journey…both literally and figuratively.

But yet, there’s something to be said for choosing to go off the beaten path. For intentionally taking the road less traveled.

In the first part of our look at Notre Dame's relationship with Ireland, we focus on Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in the Connemara region. Students and scholars from every academic discipline come to Kylemore for the space they need to focus on their work and experience the cultural heart of Ireland.

East and West, Notre Dame in Ireland: May the road rise up to meet you (Episode 1)

In episode two, we explore Notre Dame students' work on environmental issues in Ireland. None is more pressing than the role of bogs, a quintessential feature of the Irish landscape. They've been plowed over for generations to harvest the underlying peat for fuel. As the practice is phased out, one Notre Dame graduate student is studying how to restore these crucial pieces of carbon-storing habitat.

But her work is only part of the University's effort to care for our common home. 

East and West, Notre Dame in Ireland is produced by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. Producer, Writer, Host: Andy Fuller. Original music by Alex Mansour.

East and West, Notre Dame in Ireland: Common Home (Episode 2)

We round out our time in Ireland by exploring Dublin, from its familiar sounds to its famous Georgian homes. One such home is the first stop for Notre Dame students studying here: O'Connell House, the former residence of Daniel O'Connell, known as "The Liberator."

As we found out, students are using the structure much in the same way O'Connell did: as a place where knowledge is made to serve the common good.

To learn more about Notre Dame's presence in Dublin, head to dublin.nd.edu.

East and West, Notre Dame in Ireland was produced by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. Original music for the series by Alex Mansour.

East and West, Notre Dame in Ireland: The Legacy of The Liberator (Episode 3)

In this episode, we chat with Dean Shepherd, the Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. 

Professor Shepherd recently published research into the organization of sex work and human trafficking in India. The study draws from interviews with girls and women forced into the sex industry, human traffickers, brothel managers, doctors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and police officers, in an effort to better understand the cycle and ultimately invoke change.

Read more about his research at news.nd.edu/news/the-organization-of-sex-trafficking-study-reveals-entrepreneurial-cycle-of-human-exploitation/.

Insight into Human Trafficking

This special episode takes a look at the University's presence in London. We spent some time with a few of Notre Dame's students there, following them to different locations on that most iconic mode of transport, the Underground. 

Along the way, we explored the home of a major Premier League football club, the Houses of Parliament, and the thriving London art scene. We found that the Tube makes the best kind of journey possible: the one that takes you somewhere new.

Learn more about Notre Dame in London at london.nd.edu.

Countless Journeys: Notre Dame in London

The 2023 academic year culminates in one of the most distinctive events at the University of Notre Dame - Commencement in Notre Dame Stadium. Before the conferring of thousands of degrees, the inspired and meticulous work of thousands of University employees orchestrates an unmatched experience for the graduates and their families.

In this special episode, we take you behind the scenes to explore the sounds of the 178th Commencement Exercises: from the preparations to the ceremony to the celebration after. 

This podcast is produced by the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. This episode was produced by Andy Fuller and Jenna Liberto. Music by Alex Mansour. 

To learn more about the 2023 Commencement, visit https://www.nd.edu/stories/commencement-2023/.

Sounds of Commencement 2023

One of the more popular stories we've produced is on the origin of the  University's athletics nickname, the "Fighting Irish."

As the football team prepares to open its season in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, we revisit that history to open the new season of Notre Dame Stories.

Guest narration by Brian Ó Conchubhair of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies.

Read more at: https://www.nd.edu/stories/whats-in-a-name/

Explore the University's relationship with the Emerald Isle at: https://www.nd.edu/stories/ireland-series/east-and-west/

How Notre Dame became the "Fighting Irish"

We know that a good night’s sleep can help you at work…but what role do dreams play in your 9-to-5? We sat down with Casher Belinda, assistant professor for management at the Mendoza College of Business, to discuss a new study that shows how the emotions we experience at night can help us during the day.

Read more about Belinda's study at: https://news.nd.edu/news/enter-sandman-study-shows-dreams-spill-over-into-the-workplace-and-can-be-channeled-for-productivity/

The connection between dreams and work productivity

In this episode, we look at the relationship between the great Catholic intellectual, G.K. Chesterton, and the University of Notre Dame. Chesterton spent a semester on campus in 1930, lending his intellectual prowess and good humor to the Notre Dame community. Today, a collection of his personal belongings is adding a new dimension to the University's presence in London.

G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stories highlights the work and knowledge of the University's faculty and students. This podcast features interviews with Notre Dame faculty members who can lend insight into some of the major national and international stories of the day, as well as pieces that show the breadth of the life and research at the University.

Notre Dame Stories is the official podcast of the University of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame Stories

Popular tracks