Interdisciplinary Symposium on
Comparative Revivalism
Friday 18 November 2016
Ulster University, Belfast campus
Room BA-00-021
Programme
09:30 – 10:00
Registration - Tea/Coffee in Main Foyer
10:00 – 10:15
Welcome and Introduction
Prof Cathy Gormley-Heenan, PVC for Research
Dr Fionntán de Brún, Irish and Celtic Studies Research Institute
PANEL 1
The Conceptual Framework of Revivalism
10:15 – 10:45
Towards a theory of Revivalism
Dr Fionntán de Brún
10:45 – 11:15
Philosophy and its past
Dr Paul O’Grady
11:15 – 11:30
Tea/Coffee
PANEL 2
Revivalist Perspectives in Art, Design and Architecture
11:30 – 12:00
Reviving the past, constructing identity: to which ‘Golden Age’
shall we return?
Dr Kayla Rose
12:00 – 12:30
Purposeful historicism: the uses of Gothic in the rebuilding of
the Castle Chapel, Dublin Castle, 1801-1815
Dr Judith Hill
12:30 – 13:30
LUNCH
PANEL 3
Writing and Revival in Irish from the 18th Century Onwards
13:30 – 14:00
Irish-language scholarship in Dublin with and without Revival:
the 1720s versus the 1890s
Prof Liam Mac Mathúna
14:00 – 14:30
‘Gaedhilg na haimsire seo.’ Writing processes, ideology and
identity in Irish language print media in the Revival
Dr Regina Uí Chollatáin
14:30 – 14:45
Tea/Coffee
PANEL 4
Language, Folklore and Scholarship in Ireland and Canada
14:45 – 15:15
Scottish Gaelic Revival Movements in Nova Scotia, Canada
Prof Robert Dunbar
15:15 – 15:45
Cultural revivalist or irrepressible revisionist? Critiquing the
challenges of the folklore collector in 20th-century Ireland
Dr Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh
15:45 – 16:30
PLENARY SESSION
N.B. The symposium will be held in Room BA-00-021 which is located beside the front desk in the main foyer of
the Belfast campus.
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Abstracts and Biographical Notes
PANEL 1 The Conceptual Framework of Revivalism
10:15 - 11:15
Towards a theory of Revivalism
In the current ‘decade of centenaries’ there is much focus on the importance of cultural
revival as a catalyst for the momentous events that marked this period. Yet, whether in
Ireland or elsewhere, no study of Revivalism as a critical cultural practice exists, rather
one tends to speak of specific revivals, the Gaelic Revival, the Gothic Revival, the Islamic
Revival, as though each of these were defined entirely by their own specific aims rather
than by a common set of fundamental concerns centred on the will to reform the present
by recourse to values associated with the past. How much do modern revivals owe to a
recurrent preoccupation with return that is as evident in antiquity as it is in the present
day? How does the ‘eternal return’ of religion and philosophy relate to modern psychology’s
concern with looking forward by looking back? Is a theory of Revivalism possible?
Fionntán de Brún, Ulster University
Dr Fionntán de Brún is a senior lecturer in Irish whose research interests are in modern Irish
literature, Revivalism, cultural history, the oral tradition and creative writing. He was awarded
an AHRC Leadership Fellowship in 2016-17 to undertake a project entitled ‘Rethinking
Revivalism: a Conceptual Case-Study in Modern Irish Literature.’ His forthcoming monograph,
entitled Revivalism and Modern Irish Literature (Cork University Press, 2017), considers the
conceptual development of Revivalism in Irish literature from the 17th century to the present
day. His previous research in the history of Irish language revivals has included various recent
articles on the poet Aodh Mac Domhnaill (1802-67) and the edited volume Belfast and the
Irish Language (Four Courts Press, 2006).
Philosophy and its past
The history of philosophy is integral to philosophy in a way that, for example, the history
of physics is not to physics. However, there are many ways in which philosophers relate to
their history, from rejection to recapitulation. In this paper I want to sketch different forms
of this relationship and look at some principles for making an assessment of those forms.
Paul O’Grady, Trinity College Dublin
Dr Paul O’Grady Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fellow of TCD and Head of Dept. of
Philosophy TCD. A native of Sligo, he studied in UCD and TCD, worked in Oxford and became
a lecturer in TCD in 1997. He works on topics of relativism, Relativism (Routledge 2002) and
Philosophy of Religion, Aquinas’s Philosophy of Religion (Palgrave, 2014) and also edited
Consolations of Philosophy: Reflections in an Economic Downturn (Columba, 2011). His
current research is on the epistemology of wisdom.
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PANEL 2 Revivalist Perspectives in Art, Design and Architecture
11:30 - 12:30
Reviving the past, constructing identity: to which ‘Golden Age’ shall we return?
Revivals within the context of Romantic Nationalism (in Ireland and elsewhere) are not
regressions – they are not concerned merely with looking to the past for inspiration. Rather,
a revival can be viewed as a forward-looking attempt at rebuilding the nation from within,
using recognisable symbols from the past to assert the identity of the nation. However,
not all revivals entail a search for national identity, nor are they merely driven by politics.
According to Moss (2008), * a revival is about more than just an appreciation of the past
– it is about what that past stands for. Through the lens of nineteenth-century art and
material culture, this paper deals with which past is chosen for revival, focusing on the idea
of the ‘Golden Age’ in constructing a present or future identity.
* ‘Revivalist Tendencies in the Irish Late Gothic: Defining a National Identity?’ in Matthew M. Reeve (ed.), Reading Gothic
Architecture (New York: Brepols, 2008).
Kayla Rose, Bath Spa University
Dr. Kayla Rose is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Bath Spa University in Bath, England. She
has previously worked as Research Fellow in Design History on the AHRC and Design Council
project, ‘Bristol and Bath by Design’. Kayla received her PhD from Ulster University in 2014
following completion of her thesis, ‘Illuminating Ireland: Illuminated Addresses and the
Material Culture of Irish Civic and National Identity in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth
Centuries’. She also holds an MPhil in Irish Art History from Trinity College Dublin and a BA
(Hons) in Art History and Criticism from Stony Brook University (SUNY) in New York.
Purposeful historicism: the uses of Gothic in the rebuilding of the Castle Chapel,
Dublin Castle, 1801-1815
Until relatively recently Gothic revival architecture was treated primarily as a stylistic
movement. With the publication of The Gothic Revival in 1999 Chris Brooks demonstrated
that meaning was encoded in Gothic, with the aesthetics of the past related to present
and future concerns in a style that was regarded as modern. The aim of this paper is to
investigate the political and cultural ambitions of the viceregal establishment as expressed
in its commission for a new Gothic revival chapel in Dublin Castle in the immediate postUnion period. Why was it important to choose a style that referenced the past? How were
medieval models and forms applied in the early nineteenth-century commission? Were the
intentions of the viceregal establishment transmitted to the public?
Judith Hill
Judith Hill is an architectural historian and writer. Her previous books include The Building of
Limerick (1991), Irish Public Sculpture: A History (1998), In Search of Islands - A Life of Conor
O’Brien (2009) and a biography of Lady Gregory, Lady Gregory: An Irish Life (2005). She
has taught Irish cultural history, written for the Irish Arts Review, The Irish Times and Times
Literary Supplement, and featured on RTE television and radio. She lives in Limerick. She has
recently completed a PhD at Trinity College Dublin on Irish Gothic revival architecture.
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PANEL 3 Writing and Revival in Irish from the 18th Century Onwards 13:30 - 14:30
Irish-language scholarship in Dublin with and without Revival: the 1720s versus
the 1890s
Seán Ó Neachtain, his son Tadhg and their wide circle of scholarly collaborators in
eighteenth-century Dublin combined respect for the tradition they had inherited with a
varied and vibrant response to the challenging social and cultural circumstances of their
day. Aodh Buí Mac Cruitín and Tadhg, in particular, show a willingness to engage with
English and with the printed word. Indeed, Tadhg is a harbinger of modernity in Irish.
Although troubled about the pressure on Irish, they seem to have made no concerted
attempt to arrest its decline. On the other hand, Douglas Hyde’s call for ‘the necessity for
de-anglicising Ireland’ in order to ‘render the present a rational continuation of the past’
was at the centre of the Gaelic League’s successful programme from 1893 on. Contrasting
the roles and fortunes of Tadhg Ó Neachtain and Douglas Hyde, this paper will examine the
dynamics of revivalism, focussing on the interplay of individual engagement and societal
response, as well as the competing influences of the past and the future.
Liam Mac Mathúna, University College Dublin
Liam Mac Mathúna is Professor Emeritus of Irish in University College Dublin. His publications
include Béarla sa Ghaeilge (2007) and a new edition of Séadna (2011), An tAthair Peadar Ua
Laoghaire’s pioneering novel. He formerly edited Teagasc na Gaeilge (Comhar na Múinteoirí
Gaeilge) and Studia Hibernica (St Patrick’s College, DCU), and is currently editor of Éigse: A
Journal of Irish Studies (NUI). He is engaged in research on Seán and Tadhg Ó Neachtain
in eighteenth-century Dublin, and on the life and work of Douglas Hyde, as part of a wider
research project on the impact of modernity on Irish-speaking communities.
‘Gaedhilg na haimsire seo.’ Writing processes, ideology and identity in Irish
language print media in the Revival
The title of this talk refers to an article written in the Revival journal Irisleabhar na
Gaedhilge in 1909 which reflects the orthographical challenges of this period. While this is
indicative of the linguistic debates which populated much of the print forums, the subject
of the article touches on the core ideology of the Revival period which incorporated an
understanding of the past in order to bring the Irish language into the domain of the future
Gael:
Cad is fioghar Gaedhealach ann? Iss jucker a raw, mar
adéarfadh Conall Cearnach. An fioghar Gaedhealach é seo
romham? Agus, munab eadh, ciaca fioghar Laidneach nó fioghar
Gallda é? Adeir lucht seanchais nach raibh an Béarla go cliste
ag an gCéitinneach, gur dona an rás chum é labhairt é, agus go
dtagadh sé crosta air. (Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge Feabhra 1909)
This talk will examine the developments in Irish language print media and literature and
their impact on intellectual life, culture and identity in the Revival period. New writing
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practices and processes which evolved as a result of new writing styles and print forums
were central to the creation of an Irish reading public and a modern Irish literature in the
twentieth century. However this intellectual mind set was premised on the understanding
that it was imperative to preserve the antiquities of the past while cultivating a literary and
oral language of the present. To date the Irish language Revival has been assessed primarily
on the success of the living spoken language but this disregards the prolific writings and
debate of the period. Analysis of the writing processes, production and reception is central
to understanding the public discourse and ideology of the Revival period and its subsequent
influence on the Irish State. This analysis concludes that writing and journalistic practices
which produced modern works of literature and embraced a Revivalist ideology were to the
fore in the creation of a new vision for the Irish state in a European and global context.
Regina Uí Chollatáin, University College Dublin
Regina Uí Chollatáin is Associate Professor and Head of the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and
Folklore, University College Dublin. Her research areas include Irish language Revival, media
and print culture. Her most recent publications include Saothrú na Gaeilge Scríofa i Suímh
Uirbeacha na hÉireann 1700-1850 (ed. with Liam Mac Mathúna) and Litríocht na Gaeilge ar
fud an Domhain (ed. Ríona Nic Congáil et al.). She is currently working on a monograph on
the history of Irish language media in the context of Revivalist ideology.
PANEL 4 Language, Folklore and Scholarship in Ireland and Canada
14:45 - 15:45
Scottish Gaelic Revival Movements in Nova Scotia, Canada
Gaelic-speakers began emigrating to Nova Scotia in the 1770s and by the 1850s, it is
estimated that at least 25,000 had settled there. According to the 1901 Canadian census,
there were 50,000 Gaelic-speakers in the Province, and in many areas – especially Cape
Breton Island – they constituted a large majority of the population. Over the course of
the twentieth century, numbers of speakers declined steadily and precipitously, to the
point that by the start of the twenty-first century, there were only estimated to be a
few hundred, mostly elderly, speakers left. In spite of this, a rich legacy of oral tradition
was recorded during the twentieth century, and a strong tradition of Gaelic-derived
instrumental music and dance survives, as does a strong identification in Cape Breton and
other districts with a Scottish Gaelic heritage.
There have been sporadic and mostly unsuccessful efforts to maintain and revive the
language throughout the twentieth century, with the 1970s and the period starting in the
early 1990s and continuing to the present being particularly notable. In this presentation,
I will focus on recent efforts, dating from the 1990s. These have been particularly notable
for several reasons: the provision of significant state support, especially from the Province
of Nova Scotia, through the creation of an Office of Gaelic Affairs; the creation of several
intensive and innovative adult language acquisition programmes which differ significantly
from those offered in Scotland; and some evidence of success, including increases
in numbers of speakers, at least as indicated by the Canadian census, which in 2011
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registered almost 1,300 speakers in the Province. I will examine a number of the factors
which may help to explain these developments, exploring the similarities to and differences
from other similar initiatives, particularly those in Scotland. Notable features include the
emphasis on Gaelic cultural expression prevalent amongst the generation of older native
speakers which has almost totally disappeared, the presence of significant numbers
of young local people, mostly two generations removed from the last Gaelic-speaking
generation, globalisation and its impact on local identities, and macro discourses in Canada
in relation to linguistic diversity, as expressed through Official Bilingualism, cultural diversity,
as expressed through Official Multiculturalism, and the increasing salience of indigenous/
aboriginal/First Nations issues and claims to economic, political and cultural recognition.
Robert Dunbar, University of Edinburgh
Robert Dunbar is Professor of Celtic at the University of Edinburgh, and a Gaelic-speaker
from Canada, with family roots in the Nova Scotia Gàidhealtachd. Prof. Dunbar is working on
a scholarly edition of the secular poetry of the Tiree poet John MacLean (1787-1848) who
had emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1819, to be published by the Scottish Gaelic Texts Society,
and a biography and critical analysis of the work of Maclean as a secular poet, spiritual poet,
collector and publisher of Gaelic poetry, and significant tradition bearer, to be published by
McGill-Queen’s University Press. Prof. Dunbar is a former member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig and of
MG Alba, and has written widely on Gaelic language policy in Scotland. He has also advised
POBAL on an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland.
Cultural revivalist or irrepressible revisionist? Critiquing the challenges of the
folklore collector in 20th-century Ireland
This paper seeks to re-evaluate the role of the folklore collectors employed by the statefunded Irish Folklore Commission (1935-81). Examining the field diaries of the full-time
collectors, alongside correspondence with the Commission’s directors, the paper explores
the influence of the field-workers on their informants and the subsequent subject matter
of their collecting. This work is an extension of a recent doctorate thesis, Collectors of
the Irish Folklore Commission: Role, Methodology, Ideology (Ó Tiarnaigh, 2015), which
discusses the concept of the Observer Effect, or Observer Paradox, and examines the
concept of authenticity within the work of the collectors during this period.
Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh, Ulster University
South Armagh native Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh undertook his undergraduate BA (Hons) in Irish at
Ulster University in Coleraine, where he also completed postgraduate research on the diaries
of fulltime folklore collector Seán Ó hEochaidh, accumulating in the submission of his PhD
thesis in 2015. During his time in Coleraine and Magee, Pádraig assisted with editing the
AHRC funded Stories of the Sea project. He currently works with Irish-language advocacy
and promotion agency Conradh na Gaeilge, and is a part-time Lecturer at Ulster University,
whilst being the current chairman of Coláiste Aoidh Mhic Bhricne, Teileann, in the Donegal
Gaeltacht, and co-founder of the Irish-language community group Gaelphobal Ard Mhacha
Theas.
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This symposium is funded by the AHRC as part of its Leadership Fellowship Scheme.