Róisín Healy

Dr. Róisín Healy is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Galway (formerly NUI Galway), where she has served since 1997, and co-director of the Centre for the Investigation of Transnational Encounters at the Moore Institute.

Her academic foundation includes a B.A. and M.A. in History and German from University College Dublin (UCD), followed by an M.A. in German and European Studies (1994) and Ph.D. in History (1999) from Georgetown University, inspired by her experience during the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Her research centers on modern German and Polish history, with deep expertise in Irish-European comparative studies (1750-2000), intra-European colonial dynamics, religion-church-state relations, and small-state histories. She pioneers transnational analysis of Irish-Polish parallels, examining how oppressed European nations forged solidarity while navigating colonial frameworks within Europe itself.

Recent publications reveal a sharp focus on comparative colonial methodologies, analyzing British-Prussian governance parallels, nationalist movements, and cultural resilience through famines and religious conflicts. Her work consistently bridges Irish and Central European historical experiences.

Major accolades include:

• Fulbright Award (1992)
• Junior Scholar Award (2003)
• Twin Humboldt Research Scholarships (2011, 2018)
• Election to the Royal Irish Academy (2023)

She actively supervises PhD candidates including Shauna Mulligan and Patricia Farrell, with research funded by the German Academic Exchange Service, Fulbright Commission, Irish Research Council, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Her peer-review work spans top journals like German History and publishers including Cambridge University Press.

Through the Centre for the Investigation of Transnational Encounters, she cultivates international scholarly networks and organizes major conferences on cross-border historical phenomena.