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Browse the latest blog posts from the Dictionary of Irish Biography
We are very grateful to Dr Katie Liston for permission to publish the speech (lightly edited for publication) she delivered at the launch of Irish sporting lives, edited by…
'Irish sporting lives': showcasing the range of Irish sports history
O'Riordan, Turlough
16 November 2022
We were delighted to publish Irish sporting lives this month. The latest in the Dictionary of Irish Biography’s (DIB) ongoing Lives series and edited by us (…
Researching and writing the Dictionary of Irish Biography – a personal view
Maume, Patrick
7 October 2022
The Dictionary of Irish Biography (DIB) was originally proposed in the early 1980s; Dr Linde Lunney began compiling data on possible entries in 1984 and an editorial committee was formally established in May 1985 under the auspices of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA), with a…
Skirting the issue: women and the Royal Irish Academy
Gallagher, Niav
8 March 2022
When the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) was established in 1785, it was founded for the promotion and investigation of the sciences, polite literature and antiquities, and the encouragement of discussion and debate between scholars of diverse backgrounds and interests. However, this being…
Ireland's banned authors in the DIB
Evers, Liz
14 June 2021
To mark Bloomsday (16 June), the annual commemoration of James Joyce…
Aran: a place of pilgrimage
Clavin, Terry
14 March 2021
Aran of the Saints In what was to prove a recurring theme, the history of the Aran Islands begins with the arrival of a restless idealist seeking spiritual renewal amid the wilds of the Atlantic. Little is known for certain about St …
The journey of the Cathach
Gallagher, Niav
14 March 2021
Since 2012, there have been a series of events commemorating the seismic shifts that took place across the island of Ireland between 1912 and 1923. During this ten-year period the foundations for the modern Irish state were laid. Alongside these centenaries another series of…