DkIT Researcher presents at The Imbolg Early Career Researcher Seminar
Hosted by Technological University Dublin, The Imbolg Early Career Researcher Seminar took place on February 5th, organised by editing team of the Journal of Franco Irish Studies (JOFIS). The seminar highlighted an exciting range of current research, with speakers delivering on topics ranging from Medieval manuscripts to contemporary Irish literature. Keynote speaker Dr María Elena Jaime de Pablos, Professor of English at the University of Almería, provided a fascinating insight to her own research on Irish Literature and women writers.
DkIT PhD candidate Dianne McPhelim presented an overview of her research on the historical diaries of activist Mamo McDonald (1929–2021). ‘Writing Domestic Feminism: the diaries of Mamo McDonald 1980–2000’ outlined the range of themes apparent in life writing; how evidence of grief, illness, and the development of identity intersected with social issues of the era. Mapping two decades of personal and societal transformation, such research proposes to rehabilitate Mamo’s activism into contemporary knowledge, by capturing concealed life experiences and negotiations between a traditional life and feminist ideals. Employing Mamo’s published poem ‘Laughing Matter’ as example, the presentation also highlighted how the diaries held a creative usefulness in developing feminist thought. Reflecting on how Mamo’s activism directly influences the lives of Irish women today, Dianne concluded ‘historical diaries hold the potential to regenerate our current understanding of female experience by situating the ordinary woman as a figure of possibility.’
Dianne is supervised by Dr Daithí Kearney (DkIT) and Dr Naoise Collins (IADT), and her research is conducted with the financial support of Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.
