Máire R. M. Herbert , also known as Mary Herbert, is an Irish historian and academic, specialising in early medieval Irish history and

Irish saints In Christianity, certain deceased Christians are recognized as saints, including some from Ireland. The vast majority of these saints lived during the 4th–10th centuries, the period of early Christian Ireland, when Celtic Christianity produced m ...

. She is

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

of Early and Medieval Irish at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

, and was previously the head of its ''Scoil Léann Na Gaeilge'' (School of Irish Learning).

Biography

Herbert pursued Celtic Studies at University College, Galway, taking a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree in 1968 followed by a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) degree in 1970. She was appointed scholar at the School of Celtic Studies within the

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) () is a statutory independent research institute in Dublin, Ireland. It was established, under the Institute For Advanced Studies Act 1940, by the government of the then Taoiseach, Éamon de Vale ...

in October 1970 and researched there for two years until 1972. She later undertook further postgraduate studies as a visiting fellow at Clare Hall,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, completing her research there in 1975 and officially awarded her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degree in 1985. Her

doctoral thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

was titled "The monastic paruchia of Colum Cille in pre-Norman Ireland: its history and hagiography". Thereafter, Professor Herbert pursued a distinguished academic career in both teaching and research within the National University of Ireland, initially at

Maynooth University Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...

and then for many years at

. She has been Visiting Professor at a number of overseas universities and has authored numerous publications.

Honours

In 1996, Herbert was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA), the premier all-Ireland

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

. In 2015, a ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' was published in her honour. In 2018, she was awarded the Derek Allen Prize (Celtic Studies) by the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

"for her outstanding contribution to the study of Celtic literature and history".

Selected works

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Máire Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academics of Maynooth University Academics of University College Cork Alumni of the University of Galway Alumni of the University of Cambridge 20th-century Irish historians 21st-century Irish historians Irish women non-fiction writers Irish medievalists Members of the Royal Irish Academy Academics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies