Dr Liam Mac Amhlaigh and Ronan Doherty have collaborated with the Irish language body Foras na Gaeilge, and the publishing house COMHAR Teo., to produce and curate a major new electronic and print resource celebrating Irish language literary and academic writing, its writers and its biographical research.
Professor Declan Kiberd (University of Notre Dame) launched the exceptional book Portráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge; and the innovative website: www.portraidi.ie in the Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on Wednesday 22 June.
Portráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge is a unique project that celebrates the scope and diversity of the Irish-language Writer, as well as making high-quality photographic material available to the public. This beautiful full-colour curated anthology contains portraits of 107 of the most noteworthy Irish- language writers, both literary and academic, whose portraits were taken between 2009 and 2013 by Máire Uí Mhaicín for Foras na Gaeilge. The collection includes images of poets, short story writers, folklorists, children’s authors, scholarly writers, and writers from many other genres. A short biography of each writer, and where possible, some of the writer’s work is included while maintaining the emphasis on the portraits themselves. The printed edition also includes an introduction and some recollective passages and it is hoped that the website will serve as a further valuable archival facility for anyone with an interest in Irish language writers, and Irish writing as a whole. Sound files of the writers reading from their own chosen work are being placed with each online entry to enhance the archival capacity of the project.
This is an historic publication in an important year of commemoration of all aspects of Irish cultural heritage, especially that which has been contributed by Irish language writers. COMHAR is delighted to curate and develop this project in that most of the writers featured have published material in the monthly publication Comhar. Portráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge is a multi-annual, multi-stage project. In the first stage of the project, the book and website based on the current archive of portraits is now being launched and made available to the public. In the second stage of the project, new additional portraits will be added to collection on an annual basis, so that the archive of living Irish-language writers can be made as complete as possible.
This is one of the most important projects undertaken in recent years for Irish-language literature, which will give further artistic recognition to the Irish-language writer and their purpose. This project is being undertaken in conjunction with the family of Máire Uí Mhaicín. There will be further information in regard to Stage 2 of the Portráidí na Scríbhneoirí Gaeilge project in December 2016.
Ronan Doherty and Dr Liam Mac Amhlaigh
Professor Declan Kiberd