Séamus Mac Mathúna (born 1945) is an

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

and

Irish literature Irish literature is literature written in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from back in the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in ...

scholar and university professor.

Biography

Séamus Mac Mathúna was born in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

in 1945 where he attended

St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School (St Mary's CBGS) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. History The origins of the school can be traced to St Mary's School which was established i ...

. He then attended

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

where he obtained a B.A. (Hons) in Celtic Studies. This was followed by post-graduate research into Indo-European, Old Norse and Linguistics at the

University of Zürich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

and the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Celtic Studies by Queen's University Belfast. In 1970, he was appointed to a Lectureship in

Celtic Languages The Celtic languages ( ) are a branch of the Indo-European language family, descended from the hypothetical Proto-Celtic language. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, following Paul-Yve ...

and Literatures at the

University of Uppsala Uppsala University (UU) () is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially founded in the 15th century, the university rose to s ...

, Sweden. He then moved to a Statutory Lecturer in

Modern Irish Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

University College, Galway The University of Galway () is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) () from 1908 to 1997 and as ...

in 1976. In 1980, was appointed Professor of Irish at

Ulster University Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

from which he retired in 2014.

Research

He has conducted research into Early Irish language and literature;

Irish folklore Irish folklore () refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland. It is the study and appreciation of how people lived. The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, ...

; the syntax, semantics and lexicon of Irish; and Celtic links with Nordic, Slavic and Germanic cultures.

Awards

* Member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

(Vice-president 2009–13) * Corresponding Member of the

Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...

* President of Societas Celto-Slavica * Joint General Editor of the society's journal, ''Studia Celto-Slavica''.

Publications

These are detailed in the ''Bibliography of Irish Linguistics and Literature'' at 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 ...

. * Mac Mathúna, S. (1985). Immram Brain: Bran's Journey to the Land of the Women * Mac Mathúna, S. (1995). Collins Gem Irish Dictionary * Ó Corráin, A., & Mac Mathúna, S. (1997). Collins Pocket Irish Dictionary * Mac Mathúna, S. (2007). On the Definite Article and Definite Descriptions in Irish * Mac Mathúna, S., & Corrain, A. (eds) (1997). Miscellanea Celtica in Memoriam Heinrich Wagner * Mac Mathúna, S. (2006). Parallels between Celtic and Slavic * Mac Mathúna, S. (2012). Ireland and Armenia: Studies in Language, History and Narrative * Borsje, M., Dooley, A., Mac Mathúna, S., & Toner. G. (eds) (2014). Celtic Cosmology. Perspectives from Ireland and Scotland. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. A Festschrift in his honour was presented to him on his 75th birthday and launched at the 17th International Symposium of Societas Celtologica Nordica held in Uppsala on 7–10 May 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Mathuna, Seamus People educated at St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Academics of Ulster University Members of the Royal Irish Academy Irish lexicographers Translators from Irish Celtic studies scholars 1945 births Living people Scholars and academics from Belfast