The Department of Early Irish at Maynooth University is pleased to invite applications for a PhD scholarship fully funded by the Irish Research Council on an SFI-IRC Pathway Award project, EMISoS: Early Medieval Irish Scripts on Stone - the origins and early development of Irish epigraphic culture (2023–2027), led by Dr Nora White.
Deadline: 28 April 2024
Start date: September 2024
The central aim of the EMISoS project is to advance our knowledge of early Irish epigraphy within the context of late antique/early medieval epigraphic writing generally and particularly beyond the Roman frontiers in northern Europe. The lack of an up-to-date, digital corpus is a glaring gap in the fields of both Epigraphy and Early Irish and means that this valuable resource is neglected in research on the language and history of early medieval Ireland. The OG(H)AM project is currently working on remedying this situation in relation to material in the ogham script (https://ogham.glasgow.ac.uk/). The EMISoS project aims not only to do the same for inscriptions in the Insular Latin script (primarily found on cross-slabs), but to take the next, crucial step in using all of this newly generated, interdisciplinary data, along with practical experimentation in letter carving, to address new and long-standing research questions around the development of epigraphic writing in Ireland.
The topic of the PhD will fall within the general framework of the project while accommodating the interests of the successful candidate. Possibilities include, but are not limited to, focusing on digital editions of inscriptions from a particular early ecclesiastical site/region or other sub-group in the corpus of Latin script inscriptions. The successful candidate will be enrolled in Structured PhD Programme in the Department of Early Irish and work under the primary supervision of Dr Nora White, co-supervised by Prof. David Stifter.
The award consists of an annual stipend of €22,000 plus tuition fees. A designated workspace in the Arts and Humanities Institute at Maynooth, funds to purchase equipment for use on the project and additional research expenses will also be provided. Applicants for whom English is a second language will be required to meet English language requirements specified here.
Applicants should satisfy the following criteria:
Essential:
- A first-class or upper second-class Master’s degree in Celtic Studies or a cognate discipline that aligns with the subject of research
- Ability to write well in English
Desirable:
- Knowledge of early Irish (the student can undertake further language modules during the PhD) and Latin languages
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Some understanding of medieval palaeography (the student can also undertake modules in this area during the PhD)
- An interest in epigraphy and/or onomastics
- Some knowledge of TEI XML encoding and/or other digital humanities related skills
Please submit the following application materials by email to Nora.White@mu.ie before midnight on 28 April 2024:
- Cover letter (max. 2 pages) which should include a discussion of how you will address the PhD research project
- CV, which includes the names and contact details of two academic referees
- Writing sample (e.g. an academic essay/article or section of MA dissertation)
The Selection Panel will shortlist candidates for interview, which will take place remotely or in person. Applicants will be informed of the outcome by email.