Moriarty Prize

The Moriarty Prize is awarded for the year's best work by a UNF undergraduate student in Irish Studies. Eligible work must be significantly engaged with an Irish or Irish-American subject and produced during the academic year for which the prize is designated. The work must have been prepared while the author was UNF undergraduate student and may be in any academic discipline or combination of disciplines. The format is open: research paper, critical essay, or something less traditional.

Submitted work will be judged by the Irish Studies Committee on its substance, originality, thoughtfulness and appropriateness (including neatness) of presentation.

For further information about the Moriarty Prize, contact Irish Studies Coordinator, Richard Bizot. 620-1272 || rbizot@unf.edu

The Moriarty Irish Studies Endowment

Begun by Irish Studies Coordinator Dr. Richard Bizot to honor his mother's family name (Moriarty), the endowment was begun as the Moriarty Irish Studies Fund and was originally funded with support from Dr. Bizot's uncle, James T. Moriarty, and his aunt, Nancy Moriarty Lynch, who each contributed $1000 to the fund.

Support also came from Daniel P. Moriarty, founder and for many years editor/publisher of The Moriarty Clan, a newletter which links Moriartys all over the world, and from Dr. Bizot's sister, Ruth M. Bizot. By year end 1999, these individuals were responsible for over 25% of the contributions to the fund, which helped to push it over the $25,000 minimum needed to make it an endowment within the University of North Florida Foundation. Support for the Endowment has been enthusiastic over the years. UNF faculty, staff, and alumni, and many Jacksonville area residents have generously contributed financially to the endowment, and continue to do so. Fred and Nancy Schultz have provided strong support for Irish Studies through their establishment of the John Francis Reilly series and fellowships, and Niall and Nancy Falloon, of Hibernia, Inc., have further supported our efforts by underwriting the Hibernia Presents series.

In April 2001, the Irish Studies Committee awarded the first Moriarty Prize for the year's best work in Irish Studies by a UNF undergraduate to Jason Johnsen, a December 2000 history graduate. Johnsen received a plaque and a check for $250 for his paper, "Ireland and Its Contribution to the War Effort." The prize was underwritten by income from the Moriarty Endowment within the UNF Foundation.

Past Winners of the Moriarty Prize

2001 Jason Johnsen, for his paper, "Ireland and Its Contribution to the War Effort."
2002
2003
2004