One of Harvard's smallest departments, Celtic Languages and Literatures, received a gift of $250,000 this January from John J. and Agnes "Diddy" Cullinane.

"To be perfectly frank, it feels great [to be able to give a gift like this to Harvard]," said John Cullinane. "It is a modest contribution by Harvard standards, but the department is very appreciative, which is great."

The department will use most of this gift to support its students' travel to Celtic-speaking countries as part of their education.

"The department budget funds primarily staff and faculty salaries and the usual assortment of paper clips and staples," said Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures Patrick K. Ford. "This is the largest unrestricted gift the department has received and it is an entirely new resource for us."

With only 14 graduate students and three full-time faculty members, the department is one of Harvard's smallest, but its influence is wide-spread.

In fact, it is the only Celtic department in the United States to offer Ph.D.s. Department graduates go on to teach in Ireland, Wales and England, according to a press release.

"Harvard has long been known for its work on the subtle, yet powerful, influence of Celtic literature and culture," said Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles in the press release. "The Cullinanes' wonderful gift will provide our students with a direct experience of the origins of that influence."

The Cullinanes are the parents of two Harvard alumni and have served as Co-chairs of the Harvard-Radcliffe Parents Fund for three terms. Being of Celtic origin themselves--John's family is from Ireland while Diddy's are from Scotland--the Cullinanes later joined the Friends of Harvard Celtic Studies.

Their first exposure to the department came when their son took a class in the department in the 80's from Boylston Professor of Rhetoric Seamus Heaney, who later won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

At a dinner last December, the department "discussed the needs of the department and the addition of financial resources to help its students," said John Cullinane.

Following the meeting, the Cullinanes announced that they would donate $250,000 to the department, John Cullinane said.

"Having friends like the Cullinanes makes a big difference in the activities of the department and the welfare of the students," Ford said