Spirituality Institute for Research and Education

Conference to highlight boom in spiritual tourism ...

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The Spirituality Institute for Research and Education (SpIRE) was established in 2016 to raise awareness of spirituality as an applied academic discipline. Starting in August 2016, SpIRE in conjunction with the Waterford Institute of Technology delivers an MA in Applied Spirituality which was run from All Hallows College, Dublin and awarded by Dublin City University (prior to it closing down its academic programmes), and which had earlier been run from Jesuit Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy awarded by the National University of Ireland, from 2001 until it suspended its academic programmes in 2012. Lectures and seminars a delivered in the MIlltown Institute, and students have access to the Jesuit library and facilities in Milltown Park. The objective would be to develop the programmes, to include Doctoral research.

Founded by Dr. Michael O'Sullivan SJ who is the Executive Director of SpIRE and MA programme leader and Dr Bernadette Flanagan PBVM who serves as chair of SpIRE, both had previously worked at the Milltown Institute and colleagues at All Hallows College.

Other members of the SpIRE Committee include Prof. Michael Howlett (WIT), Dr. Michael Murray, and Prof. Fiona Timmins (Trinity College Dublin).

In August 2016 SpIRE hosted a Summer School in Milltown Institutes Conference Centre, the second SpIRE Summer School - Journeying with Spirit is scheduled for August 2017. SpIRE and WIT hosted the first international conference in this country on Pilgrimage and the Evolution of Spiritual Tourism took place in WIT in March 2018.

November 1st, 2017 seen the first graduates (twenty) from the MA programme, conferred by the Waterford Institute of Technology, a first such awards by an Institute of Technology, as well as a PhD in spirituality.

Spirituality Institute for Research and Education

Thursday, May 3, 2018