The unique MA in Applied Spirituality was 25 years old in 2026. In that time it has made an inestimable contribution to the development of postgraduate stdies and research in applied spirituality in Ireland and to spirituality as a new academic-practitioner discipline in higher education and the professions. As well as the MA there have also been HDip and PhD studies in Applied Spirituality and international conferences, publications, consultancy, networking, and the exercise of leadership roles in international organisations and on editorial boards of world leading journals. Bernadette and Michael, the co-founders and the Chair and Director of SpIRE, respectively, have spanned the 25 years, and so in order to celebrate the gifts and benefits of these studies for graduates in particular in terms of the companionship, making a difference in their own setting, accompanying others on their journey, and navigating life’s challenges, they decided that SpIRE would mark the silver jubilee of these wonderful developments with a celebratory event in Dublin on Saturday, March 28th. The current MA programme leadership team is Bernadette (founding programme director), Michael (longest serving director) and Noelia Molina (current director).
An audio-visual recording of the historic celebration is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oZ-Zx6h99U&t=3611s
Click here for an excellent account of the event, places in the recording to listen and view sections of the event, and for feedback from some of those who attended,