“More than the Sum of its Articles”: Publishing National Biography in Irish
Seán Dullea
Abstract
This article concerns itself with the publication of national biography in the Irish language, focussing on Beathaisnéis (1986-2007), a nine-volume biographical series, and its companion online database which was launched in 2011. The essay begins by setting the printed work very briefly in the context of biographical writing in Ireland before going on to describe the origins and evolution of the project. In looking at the methodology employed and the selection criteria used for biographical subjects, it is clear that the editors wished to remain as inclusive as possible throughout. Given the patently nationalist agenda of projects such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, I consider in passing the conceptions of biography which inform Beathaisnéis. The article ends by focussing on the work’s presence online, imaginatively linked to related projects, thereby giving the original printed volumes a new lease of life as well as furthering the creation of a civic discourse in Irish.
Seán Dullea
Abstract
This article concerns itself with the publication of national biography in the Irish language, focussing on Beathaisnéis (1986-2007), a nine-volume biographical series, and its companion online database which was launched in 2011. The essay begins by setting the printed work very briefly in the context of biographical writing in Ireland before going on to describe the origins and evolution of the project. In looking at the methodology employed and the selection criteria used for biographical subjects, it is clear that the editors wished to remain as inclusive as possible throughout. Given the patently nationalist agenda of projects such as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, I consider in passing the conceptions of biography which inform Beathaisnéis. The article ends by focussing on the work’s presence online, imaginatively linked to related projects, thereby giving the original printed volumes a new lease of life as well as furthering the creation of a civic discourse in Irish.