Ireland has one of the world's largest folklore archives. Folklore has been a vital aspect of Irish identity for hundreds of years, contributing to its literature, history and culture. Folklore, however, is not just in the past or in the countryside, it’s also in the contemporary world and in cities. It remains a significant element in the ongoing cultural process of popular traditions and expressions. Folklore at UCC introduces the main areas of the discipline, such as narratives, stories, festivals, rituals, tools, technologies and material culture, before developing the theories, ideas and methods of Folklore, including the theories of fieldwork, original research, archives and community identity.

Graduates from this course have gone on to pursue careers in the following areas: academia media (audio-video) primary and secondary school teaching archive assistance heritage sector (museums, with the Heritage Council) translation writing community-based folklore and arts local history projects. The course also equips you with a range of useful transferable skills for journalism, television production, urban planning and environmental planning.