The Department of Early Irish at Maynooth University is pleased to invite applications for a 4-year PhD scholarship fully funded by the Irish Research Council on an IRC Advanced Laureate Award project, (2023–2027), Tracing Diatopic Variation in a Corpus of Old Irish (DiAgnostic), led by Prof. David Stifter.
Deadline: Midnight, 28 April 2024
Start date: September 2024
The central aim of the project is to assess linguistic variation in Old Irish texts in the light of diatopic (i.e. regional/dialectal) variation. The project will create and then employ a sample dataset from a deeply annotated, regionally diversified linguistic corpus (CorPH+) to systematically analyse and document synchronic variation across regions in Old Irish. In this way, it is hoped to make progress, among other things, in answering the questions if regional dialects existed across Ireland in the early medieval period; if it is possible to disentangle diachronic from synchronic diatopic variation in Early Irish; and what does the linguistic situation in early medieval Ireland reveal about the prehistory of the island.
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 deep linguistic analysis of Early Irish texts as part of the CorPH database, the regional diversification of Early Irish literature, or the concept of dialectal variation in historical languages. The successful candidate will be enrolled in Structured PhD Programme in the Department of Early Irish and work under the supervision of Prof. 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 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:
- Knowledge of Early Irish, especially Old Irish (the student can undertake further language modules during the PhD)
- A first-class or upper second-class Master’s degree in Celtic Studies, historical linguistics or a cognate discipline that aligns with the subject of research
- Ability to write well in English
Desirable:
- Excellent communication and organisational skills
- Some knowledge of TEI XML encoding and/or other digital humanities related skills
Please submit the following application materials by email to 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.