James MacKillop (born May 31, 1939,

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

) is an American professor and scholar of Celtic and Irish studies and an arts journalist A child of Gaelic-speaking Highland emigrants, he is also a near relative of St

Mary MacKillop Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian religious sister who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross. Of Scottish descent, she was born in Melbourne but is best known fo ...

of Australia (1842-1909).

Early life and education

MacKillop was raised in

Southeast Michigan Southeast Michigan, also called southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are c ...

and attended the University of Detroit High School and

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

(BA, MA in English). At Wayne he wrote for the Daily Collegian and captained the university team on the GE

College Bowl ''College Bowl'' (which has carried a naming rights sponsor, initially General Electric and later Capital One) is a radio, television, and student quiz show. ''College Bowl'' first aired on the NBC Radio Network in 1953 as ''College Quiz Bowl'' ...

television program. He received a Ph.D. from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and was a visiting fellow in Celtic Languages at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. He has lived in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

since the late sixties.

Career

MacKillop taught for more than forty years at various universities. Appointments include

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

Onondaga Community College Onondaga Community College (OCC) is a public community college that serves Onondaga County, New York, at two campuses. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The college was founded in 1961 and began instruction ...

State University of New York College at Cortland The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland or Cortland State College) is a public college in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The State Un ...

and the

S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, commonly known as Newhouse School, is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. It has programs in print and broadcast journalism; music business; graphic ...

. He also held a year's appointment as Professeur Invité at the

University of Rennes 1 The University of Rennes 1 is a public university located in the city of Rennes, France. It is under the Academy of Rennes. It specializes in science, technology, law, economics, management and philosophy. There are currently about students en ...

in France. He was awarded th
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence.
MacKillop has published nine books, dozens of scholarly articles, and thousands of newspaper items. His best-known book is probably ''The Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'' (Oxford), once the top seller in Celtic scholarship. ''Myth & Legends of the Celts'' (Penguin) is widely cited. His ''Irish Literature: A Reader'' (Syracuse), with Maureen Murphy is frequently used in university Irish literature courses. ''Speaking of Words'' (Holt, Rinehart) was co-edited with

Donna Woolfolk Cross Donna Woolfolk Cross (born 1947) is an American writer and the author of the novel ''Pope Joan'', about a female Catholic Pope from 853 to 855. She is the daughter of Dorothy Woolfolk, a pioneering woman in the American comic book industry, and ...

, later author of the international best-seller ''Pope Joan'' (Crown). Writing for newspapers since college years, MacKillop has been most associated with the

Syracuse New Times ''Syracuse New Times'' was a weekly alternative newspaper published in Syracuse, New York, by William Brod and distributed throughout the Central New York Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following ...

, where he has been the drama critic for decades, winning the

Syracuse Press Club The Syracuse Press Club, based in Syracuse, New York, serves as a 21-county area of central New York. The club is made up of journalists and communications specialists from throughout the Central New York region. The organization is for those who w ...

Award for criticism sixteen times. Joining as a graduate student, MacKillop has long been active in the
American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS)
serving on the executive committee for ten years, organizing three national conventions (Syracuse, 1989; Belfast-Queens U., 1995; Albany, 1997), and serving as president, 1995–97.