Call for Papers -- Celts, Romans, and Greeks

The call for papers has just been announced for a symposium on "Kelten, Römer, Griechen -- Sprach- und Kulturkontakte im Römischen Reich and seinem Umfeld" to be held in Heidelberg, 18-21 September 2014.  Further information on this event, including submissions requirements, can be found in German and English on this PDF (courtesy of UCC).

Constructing Gender in Medieval Ireland -- a New Book

Here is the press release for a new book on Constructing Gender in Medieval Ireland (Palgrave Macmillan 2013), edited by Sarah Sheehan and Ann Dooley:

"Constructing Gender in Medieval Ireland
Palgrave Macmillan (The New Middle Ages, Dec. 2013)
Sarah Sheehan and Ann Dooley, editors

Medieval Irish texts reveal distinctive and unexpected constructions of gender. Constructing Gender in Medieval Ireland illuminates these ideas through its fresh and provocative re-readings of a wide range of texts, including saga, romance, legal texts, Fenian narrative, hagiography, and ecclesiastical verse. This ground-breaking collection presents new research by emerging and established scholars, who explore a variety of perspectives on sexual difference in medieval Irish culture. The contributors examine the intersections of gender with narrative, visuality, law, speech acts, transgression, and performance - painting a compelling picture of the many ways in which authors and audiences conceptualized gender in medieval Ireland.

Contributors: Judith L. Bishop (Mills College), Ann Dooley (U Toronto), Joanne Findon (Trent U), Giselle Gos (Harvard U), Amy C. Mulligan (U Notre Dame), Máirín Ní Dhonnchadha (NUI Galway), Jennifer Karyn Reid (Mercy Spirituality Centre, NZ), Sarah Sheehan (U Toronto), Catherine Swift (U Limerick).

Hardback and ebook. 236 pages. Illustrated. Available now from Palgrave Macmillan.

In North America: http://us.macmillan.com/constructinggenderinmedievalireland/
In Europe & the UK: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=509326"

Irish Sagas Online

University College Cork just unveiled a new website called "Irish Sagas Online."  The purpose of the site is "to make available reliable versions of the original texts of medieval Irish sagas with parallel translations into Modern Irish and English."  It also provides "links to extant electronic resources which will allow interested parties to better understand the context and content of Irish sagas."  For more information on this exciting initiative, visit Irish Sagas Online at this address.

Online Irish-Language Book Club -- Selection for December 2013

Clubleabhar.com is an online Irish-language book club that encourages people to read one book in Irish every month.  The selection for December 2013 is An Fear a Phléasc by Micheál Ó Conghaile.  For more information on the book club, visit the Clubleabhar website.

DIAS Summer School 2014

The Summer School in Medieval and Modern Irish Language and Literature hosted by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies will be held 14-26 July 2014 in Dublin.  For the schedule of classes, admission requirements, and fees, please visit the DIAS website.

Call for Papers -- CSANA 2014

The call for papers has just been announced for the annual CSANA conference, which will be hosted by Virginia Tech 6-9 March 2014 at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia.  Plenary speakers include Edel Bhreathnach, Thomas Charles-Edwards, and Peter Schrijver.  "Twenty-minute papers are invited on all aspects of Celtic Studies.  Abstracts should be sent by November 20, 2013 to Charlene Eska ... with the subject line 'CSANA 2014.'"  For more information on the event, visit the conference website.

Online Irish Book Club -- Selection for November 2013

Clubleabhar.com is an Irish-language book club that encourages people to read one book in Irish every month.  The selection for November 2013 is Nioclás Tóibín's 1934 translation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (Cú na mBaskerville).  For more information on this selection and the book club in general, visit ClubLeabhar.com.

eBooks from Four Courts Press

Four Courts Press is offering a series of eBooks for purchase.  At present, ten of their titles are available in this format, but more selections will be added in 2014.  This is great news for those of us who prefer the convenience and portability of eBooks.  To view the current offerings, visit the Four Courts Press website.

Call for Papers -- Language Diversity in Wales

A call for papers has been announced for the first conference on "Language Diversity in Wales," which will be held 18-19 July 2014 at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

"The conference aims to provide a forum for those interested in the language diversity of Wales.  The event is conceived in a broad way and is not restricted to purely linguistic topics.  The forum is also open to researchers with literary perspectives, to those interested in translation studies, and to researchers from the fields of media, arts, and anthropology insofar as they are working on topics connected with the language diversity of Wales."

"Abstracts for both papers and posters should not exceed 300-350 words including references and should be submitted via EasyChair.  Presentations should be 20 minutes in length, and will be followed by 10 minutes of discussion."

"The deadline for abstracts is Wednesday 15th of January 2014."

For more information on this event, visit the conference website.

Online Irish Book Club -- October 2013

Clubleabhar is an online Irish-language book club that encourages members to read one book in Irish each month.  The selection for October 2013 is Deargadaoil i mBád fó Thoinn by Pádraic Breathnach.  For more information about the book club and this month's selection, visit the Clubleabhar website.

Call for Papers -- Celtic Mythology

Here is the call for papers for an upcoming colloquium on Celtic mythology:

"A colloquium on

THINKING ABOUT CELTIC MYTHOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

will be held at
Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh
27 George Square, Edinburgh, Scotland
Saturday, 19 October -- Monday, 21 October 2013

The opening presentation, 'The study of Celtic mythology after Grammatica Celtica; or 'Tis 160 years since', by Professor Bernhard Maier (University of Tubingen) will provide an overview of past scholarship in the field that will form the historical basis for the exploration of the present and the potential future throughout the rest of the colloquium.  The closing presentation on Monday evening will be by Dr John Carey (University of College Cork) on 'Ogmios and the eternal word'.

CALL FOR PAPERS
You are invited to submit by 13 September 2013, either (a) a paper title and abstract (80-150 words), and/or (b) an indication of the area you would like to cover and the approach you would take in a forum discussion on the theme of the colloquium.  The committee will consider the submissions immediately and will send a response and a draft programme by 17 September.  The closing presentation will be a public lecture.  It is hoped that the colloquium as a whole will generate lively discussion that may be of benefit for developments in this field.
Please submit to E.Lyle[at]ed.ac.uk

Committee:
Professor Rob Dunbar, Dr Emily Lyle (organizer), Professor Wilson McLeod, and Dr John Shaw."

Irish Music Lecture

The Friends of Irish Studies at the University of Montana is sponsoring a lecture by Simon and Maria O'Dwyer entitled "3,000 Years of Ancient Ireland's Music and Instruments," which will be held at the UM Denison Theatre, 19 September 2013, from 8:00 to 9:30 pm and at Butte/Silverbow Archives, 20 September 2013, from 7:30 to 9:00pm.  The talk is free and open to the public.

Call for Papers -- CSANA 2014

Here is the call for papers for the 2014 CSANA conference:

"Celtic Studies Association of North America

Call for Papers
Annual Conference 2014

The CSANA Annual Conference will be hosted by Virginia Tech at the Hotel Roanoke, Roanoke, Virginia, March 6-8, 2014.

Plenary Speakers

Edel Bhreathnach, The Discovery Programme, Ireland
Thomas Charles-Edwards, University of Oxford
Peter Schrijver, University of Utrecht

Twenty-minute papers are invited on all aspects of Celtic Studies.  Abstracts should be sent by November 20, 2013 to Charlene Eska ... with the subject line 'CSANA 2014'.

Details regarding registration and travel can be found here.

Membership information can be found" on the CSANA website.

Call for Papers -- "Landscape" Panel at Kalamazoo 2014

Here is the call for papers for another medieval panel at Kalamazoo that welcomes submissions from Celticists:

"'Landscape and Spatial Poetics in the Literature of the British Isles'

The past few years have seen increasing interest in concepts of landscape and the significance of space and place in medieval literary studies. This session seeks to extend the discussion to include texts from all the languages of the British Isles (Welsh, Irish, Scots) as well as Old and Middle English and French.

Proposals of approximately 250 words (accompanied by the Participant Information Form, available at http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html#PIF) should be sent to Joanne Findon jfindon[at]trentu.ca no later than September 15, 2013. Please include your name, title, and affiliation on the abstract itself."

Call for Papers -- CSANA at Kalamazoo 2014

Here is the call for papers for two CSANA panels that will be held at Kalamazoo 2014:

"CSANA invites paper proposals for two sponsored sessions at the 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 8 -11, 2014.

1. The first session will feature "New Work by Young Celtic Studies Scholars."  This session will feature work by graduate students and other scholars who are early in their careers to provide them with feedback and suggestions.  Papers on any topic relevant to Celtic Studies, including comparative topics, are welcome.

2. The second session will consider "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Celtic Studies and 'Celtic.'"  Celtic Studies is inherently an interdisciplinary field and deploying the methodologies and perspectives of the various relevant academic disciplines yields more nuanced and holistic understanding of questions relating to the Celtic peoples and their cultures.  This session will welcome papers which either directly address concepts and definitions of "Celtic" or employ differing disciplinary methods when exploring a particular topic within Celtic Studies.

Paper proposals should include both an abstract and the Congress Participant Information Form, which is available online at:
<http://www/wmich.edu/medieval/congress/submissions/index.html#PIF>.  Please send all submissions by the deadline of September 15, 2014 (by e-mail, FAX, or postal mail) to:

Professor Frederick Suppe
History Department
Ball State University
Muncie, IN  47306
USA

FAX number: (765) 285-5612
e-mail:  fsuppe[at]bsu.edu"

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada 2013

Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada, which is described as 'the only festival outside of Ireland featuring the performing arts of the Gaeltacht ... conducted through the medium of the Irish language', will be held 28-30 June 2013 at the North American Gaeltacht in Tamworth/Erinsville Ontario.  Special events include a guest lecture by Ray Mánais and a performance of Séans, a play by Brian Ó Baoill. For more information, visit the Oireachtas Gaeilge Cheanada website.

ICM 2013 Provisional Schedule

The provisional schedule for the 27th Irish Conference of Medievalists, which will be held 10-12 July 2013 at University College Dublin, has been posted on the conference website.  A link to the schedule in PDF format can be found off of this page.

Irish Immersion Weekend in Kansas City

The Third Annual Irish Language & Culture Immersion Weekend, hosted by the Kansas City Irish Center at Union Station, will be held in Kansas City 28-30 June 2013.  Brian Ó hAirt, the first American to win the Sgiath Uí Dhálaigh award, will be a guest teacher.  Registration, which includes breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, is $150, though students with a valid ID can get a $50 discount.  For more information on this event, visit the Kansas City Irish Center website.

Johann-Kaspar-Zeuss Prizes, 2013

The winners of the 2013 Johann-Kaspar-Zeuss Prizes have just been announced by the Societas Celtologica Europaea.  The prize for the best Ph.D. dissertation in Celtic Studies went to Niamh Ní Shiadhail at UCD, for her work on 'Conspóidí creidimh 1818-c.1848: roinnt fianaise ó fhilíocht na Gaeilge', while the prize for the best M.A. thesis went to Sigrun Maurer at Universität Wien for her work on 'Die Legende von den Sieben Schläfern aus Ephesos in der Version des Leabhar Breac'.  Congratulations to both winners.

Call for Papers -- SEMA 2013

The call for papers has been announced for "The Edge of Celtic Consciousness" session at SEMA 2013, which will be held at Appalachian State University, October 3-5.  The session is being organized by Larissa Tracy and Charlene Eska and will focus on what it means to be Celtic, "particularly in a medieval context."  The organizers "welcome papers on language, literature, art, law, history, archeology, theology, folklore or any other medieval discipline -- especially those which focus on the idea of boundaries or margins."  Abstracts of 250 are due to Larissa Tracy by 1 June 2013.

Online Irish Language Classes -- Summer 2013

Gaelchultur is offering live online Irish language classes this summer.  Classes for Ireland and Europe and for America and Canada begin in mid May and run through mid July.  For more information on these classes, visit the course website.

Call for Papers -- Litriocht na Gaeilge

The call for papers has been announced for a conference entitled Litríocht na Gaeilge ar fud an Domhain: cruthú, caomhnú agus seachadadh téacsanna Gaeilge i gcomhthéacsanna idirnáisiúnta, which will be held 20-22 February 2014 at Teach Newman, Faiche Stiabhna and Coláiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach. Abstracts in Irish of 250-350 words together with the presenter's contact information and a 100-word bio should be emailed to conference organizers by 1 September 2013. For more information, visit the conference website.

Call for Papers Extended - HCC 2013

The call for papers for the 33rd Annual Harvard Celtic Colloquium, which will be held 11-13 October 2013, has been extended.  Abstracts of 200-250 words together with a brief biographical sketch of the presenter can be emailed to conference organizers in RTF or Word format from now until May 14.

Website on Medieval Welsh Law

The new Cyfraith Hywel website has just gone online.  It is described by developers as an 'academic website examining all aspects of medieval Welsh law. Including bibliographies, discussions, details about the manuscripts, sections on Ancient Laws, and much more'.

'This work is the result of a research project led by Dr Sara Elin Roberts, with Bryn Jones as a research assistant; the project was funded by the Publications and Research Committee of the University of Wales, with the work of creating the website funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol'.

Call for Papers -- Celtic Days 2013

The call for papers has just been announced for the 10th Celtic Days conference, which will be held 27-28 May 2013 in Lublin.  Conference organizers 'invite proposals of sessions commenting upon and revisiting traditional methodologies and/or assumptions about Celtic culture, languages and literature'.  Also welcome are proposals of 300-500 words in length for individual papers on Celtic topics.  Proposals are due by 30 April 2013.  They should be submitted in an email with the subject line 'Celtic Days 2013'.  For more information on this event, contact conference organizers.

A Grammar of Modern Irish

Pól Ó Murchú's annotated guide to Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí has just been published under the title A Grammar of Modern Irish.  Copies can be ordered directly from the Teangaleanga website for a price of $24.95.

Book Launch -- Dooley Festschrift

The launch celebration for Gablánach in scélaigecht: Celtic studies in honour of Ann Dooley will take place at 6:00 pm on Saturday April 20, 2013, during the CSANA conference at the University of Toronto.  All members are cordially invited to attend.

Irish Immersion Weekends -- Ontario 2013

An Irish-language immersion weekend will be held in Kingston Ontario 26-28 April, and another will be held in Keswick Ontario 8-10 June 2013.  Information about both events, which are reasonably priced, can be found on their respective websites.

100 Objects eBook

In honor of St Patrick's Day, the eBook version of A History of Ireland in 100 Objects is available free of charge till the end of March 2013.  This eBook is available for all major devices, including the iPad and Kindle Fire.  You can get your copy here.

Update: I have now had a chance to experience the iPad version of this book for myself, and I must say that the organizations responsible for its production -- the Royal Irish Academy, the National Museum of Ireland, The Irish Times along with the EU Presidency, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Adobe -- are to be commended for their splendid work on this project.  A History of Ireland in 100 Objects is a truly multimedia affair, consisting of text, video and audio files, as well as high resolution photographs, maps, and links to social media.  I really hope that projects like this represent the future of publishing.  Kudos to all involved.

Gaeltacht Summer Awards 2013

The Gaeltacht Summer Awards provide opportunities 'for Irish Language Learners in the US to spend two to six weeks studying Irish in the Gaeltachtaí'.  Preference will be given to college students (undergraduate or postgraduate) who have not studied in the Gaeltacht before.  Completed applications are due by 30 April 2013.  For more information on the awards or to request application materials, send an email to awards[at]fulbright.ie.

Smithsonian Journeys, Tour of Scotland -- 2013

Smithsonian Journeys is organizing a guided tour of 'Scotland's Treasures', including the Highlands, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.  The June 2013 departure will be led by our own Charles MacQuarrie, while the August 2013 departure will be led by Cassandra Hannahs.  For more information on this trip, including booking information, visit the Smithsonian Journeys website.

Irish Immersion weekend -- Ontario

"IRISH LANGUAGE IMMERSION WEEKEND, KINGSTON ONTARIO
26 - 28 APRIL 2013

It's our language, our heritage, our identity, and our promise for the future. All welcome.

Full Package: $200
All meals (Friday supper to Sunday lunch)
2 nights accommodation at the Peachtree Inn http://www.peachtreeinn.net/
Irish language Instruction
Cultural Workshops
Céilí, Music, Dance, Singing
Banquet

BROCHURE: http://www.srayner.ca/comhaltas/DSG2013.htm
REGISTER ONLINE: http://www.srayner.ca/comhaltas/DSG2013.htm"

Genre in Celtic Literature -- Call for Papers

"Call for papers: Genre in Medieval Celtic Literature


The School of Celtic Studies is pleased to announce that it will be
hosting a colloquium on genre in medieval Celtic literature on 27–28
September 2013, at 10 Burlington Road, Dublin 4, Ireland.

The aim of this colloquium is to open up the field to discussion of
the concept of genre in medieval literature and in particular in the
Celtic vernaculars. While recent years have seen a gradual increase
in publications on this topic, the potential of the discussion of
genre and generic analysis for the Celtic literatures has not yet
been fully explored. This colloquium aims to bring together current
research on the subject, with a view to exploring the role genre
plays in modern scholarship as well as in the medieval understanding
of reading and writing.

Proposals for papers of approximately 30 mins are invited on all
topics relevant to genre in medieval Celtic literature (not limited
to the vernaculars) including:

taxonomy and typology (medieval and modern)
methodology of generic analysis
cyclification
medieval reading practices
artes liberales and medieval writing
individual genres

Proposals should include your name, affiliation (if applicable),
proposed title and an abstract of no more than 300 words. All
enquiries and proposals should be sent to conference@celt.dias.ie.
The deadline for submission is Friday 29th March 2013."

Symposium on Magic in Ireland

The Department of Early Irish at the National University of Ireland Maynooth is hosting A Symposium on Charms and Magic in Medieval and Modern Ireland, which will be held on their campus on 6 April 2013 from 9:30 till 18:00.  For the program and registration information, visit the symposium's website.

33rd Annual Harvard Celtic Colloquium -- Call for Papers

"Thirty Third Annual Harvard Celtic Colloquium
October 11th-13th, 2013
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Call for Papers

The Harvard Celtic Department cordially invites proposals for papers on topics which relate directly to Celtic studies (Celtic languages and literatures in any phase; cultural, historical or social science topics; theoretical perspectives, etc.) for the 33rd Annual Celtic Colloquium, to take place at Harvard University, October 11-13, 2013.  Papers concerning interdisciplinary research with a Celtic focus are also invited.  Attendance is free.

Presentations should be no longer than twenty minutes.  There will be a short discussion period after each paper.  Papers given at the Colloquium may later be submitted for consideration by the editorial committee for publication in the Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium.

Potential presenters should send a 200-250 word abstract, plus a brief biographical sketch.  Submissions should be sent by e-mail ..., faxed, or posted to the departmental address; we encourage submissions in the form of RTF or Word Document email attachments.

Further information is available at our website....

Closing date for proposals: May 1, 2013."

The John V. Kelleher Lecture will be given by Thomas Owen Clancy of the University of Glasgow on Thursday, October 10th, at 5 p.m. in the Harvard Faculty Club Library.

Buhez sante Barba published

An edition of the 1608 Middle Breton text Buhez sante Barba, edited by Paul Widmer in collaboration with Christina Fischer and Ricarda Scherschel, has just been published.  The text of this previously unedited play was discovered in a library in Germany.  Copies can be obtained directly from the publisher for the very reasonable price of 13 €.

Mac Cana Memorial Lectures 2013

David Dumville of the University of Aberdeen will deliver a series of forty lectures in honor of the late Proinsias Mac Cana under the title "From Late Antiquity to Early Modernity: Towards a New History of Gaelic Literature, A.D. 250-1750."  The first two lectures will be delivered at the Royal Irish Academy on 18 February 2013 from 11:00-12:00 and 2:00-3:00.  The next six will be given at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, starting February 25.  Details on the entire series, which runs through July 29 and is free to the public, can be obtained by emailing the Institute.

LU Conference Podcast

Audio files of nine of the papers that were presented at the Lebor na hUidre Conference last November, including the conference introduction by RIA president Luke Drury, are now available on the Royal Irish Academy Website.  iOS compatible files (i.e. files that were not coded in Flash) are available as well via a separate link.  This is a great move by the Royal Irish Academy, and one that I hope will set a trend for other major conferences going forward.

Scholarship for Students of Scottish Gaelic

An Comunn Gàidhealach, Ameireaganach is offering a $2000.00 (USD) scholarship to American or Canadian students who are studying Scottish Gaelic at the university level.  Application materials include

• the student's official transcripts,
• three letters of recommendation, two of which are to be written in Gaelic,
• a statement by the student in Gaelic "of how the candidate will contribute to Gaelic culture,"
• a budget "demonstrating the candidate's ability to cover educational costs above $2000,"
• and a letter "from the institution in which the candidate is, or will be, enrolled."

These documents are due by 1 March 2013.  For further information, visit An Comunn Gàidhealach, Ameireaganach website.

Dooley Festschrift Available for Pre-Order

Gablánach in Scélaigecht: Celtic Studies in Honour of Ann Dooley edited by Sarah Sheehan, Joanne Findon, and Westley Follett is now available for pre-order on the Four Courts Press website.  The volume, which contains contributions from a number of CSANA members, is scheduled for publication in April 2013.

(And before anyone asks, yes, the honorand was aware of the festschrift before this post went live.)

Online Irish-language Book Club

ClubLeabhar.com is an online Irish-language book club that encourages people to improve their Irish by reading a new book each month.  Here are the selections for January through June 2013:

• Gonta by hAlex Hijmans (January)
• An Litir by Liam Mac Cóil (February)
• An Bealach Cóir by Pól Ó Muirí (March)
• Dúil by Liam Ó Flaithearta (April)
• Gealach by Seán Mac Mathúna (May)
• Gearrscéalta ár Linne ed. Brian Ó Conchubhair (June)

To join in the discussion, visit the ClubLeabhar.com website.

Oideas Gael Courses 2013

Oideas Gael, the school of Irish language and culture located in Donegal, has just released its program for 2013.  Week-long courses for adults begin in late March and run through August.  For a complete list of programs as well as tuition and registration information, visit the Oideas Gael website.

Bangor University Summer Schools 2013

Bangor University is offering two summers school programs this year.  The first is an intensive Welsh-language course which will be held June 24 through July 5 (or from June 17 through July 5 for absolute beginners).  The second is an interdisciplinary course on Literature, History, and Archaeology which will be held 8-19 July.  For more information on these classes, including an optional Dig Week at the Iron Age site of Meillionydd, visit the university's website.

Call for Papers -- Australian Celtic Conference 2013

The call for papers is still open for the Eighth Australian Conference of Celtic Studies, which will be held 11-14 June 2013 at the University of Sydney.  Abstracts of 250 words or less are due to Professor Anders Ahlqvist by 15 February 2013.  Once complete, the conference program will be posted on the University of Sydney Celtic Studies website.