phone: +353-1-6140177
e-mail: pmachain@celt.dias.ie

Research Interests

Irish manuscripts and manuscript traditions; verse in Irish 1200-1900; rural unrest in Ireland in the early 19th century; literary history of Co. Waterford; history and tradition in Ossory.
Director of Irish Script on Screen.

Publications

Books

The Book of the O’Conor Don: essays on an Irish manuscript (DIAS 2010)

Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the National Library of Ireland Fasciculus XI (Dublin 1990)

Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in Mount Melleray Abbey Co. Waterford (Dublin 1991)

Riobard Bheldon: Amhráin agus dánta (Baile Átha Cliath 1995)

Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the National Library of Ireland Fasciculus XIII (with Nessa Ní Shéaghdha, Dublin 1996)

Téacs agus údar i bhfilíocht na scol (Dublin 1998)

Six years in Galmoy: rural unrest in County Kilkenny 1819-1824 (Dublin 2004)

Like sun gone down: selections from the writings of John Canon O’Hanlon (with Tony Delaney, Kilkenny 2005)

Editorial

ed. (with Aoibheann Nic Dhonnchadha) An Linn Bhuí: Iris Ghaeltacht na nDéise 1 (1997); 2 (1998); 3 (1999); 4 (2000); 5 (2001); 6 (2002); 7 (2003); 8 (2004); 9 (2005); 10 (2006); 11 (2007); 12 (2008); 13 (2009); 14 (2010); 15 (2011).

ed. Ossory, Laois and Leinster 1 (2004); 2 (2006); 3 (2008); 4 (2010).

Studies in Irish Manuscripts, General Editor: Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in Villanova University, Pennsylvania by William Mahon (DIAS 2007)

ed. Ghaibh a leithéid an tslí tráth by Padraig Ó Fiannúsa (2nd edition, Waterford 2008)

Articles

‘Two Nugent manuscripts: the Nugent Duanaire and Queen Elizabeth’s Primer’, Ríocht na Midhe: Records of Meath Archaeological and Historical Society 23 (2012) 121-42

‘Fr Patrick Meany and the Dr Keating Society, 1860–1865’, Studia Hibernica 37 (2011) 165–96

‘Observations on the manuscript of Tadhg Ó Cianáin’, in Fearghus Ó Fearghail
(ed.), Tadhg Ó Cianáin: an Irish scholar in Rome (Dublin 2011) 171-205

(with Fearghus Ó Fearghail) ‘A nineteenth-century transcript of Ó Cianáin’s
manuscript’, in Fearghus Ó Fearghail,  Tadhg Ó Cianáin: an Irish scholar in Rome (Dublin 2011) 206-14

‘Dán le Pádraig Denn’, An Linn Bhuí 15 (2011) 139-44

‘Irish script on Screen: the growth and development of a manuscript digitisation project’, in Franz Fischer et al. (ed.), Codicology and palaeography in the digital age 2 (Norderstedt 2010) 3-19

‘Tuileagna Ó Maoil Chonaire and the Book of Pottlerath’, Ossory, Laois and Leinster 4 (2010) 244-8

‘An elegy for Seaán Óg Ó Dochartaigh’, Celtica 26 (2010) 89-110

‘The poetry of Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn: themes and sources’, in Pádraigín Riggs (ed.), Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn: his historical and literary context (London 2010) 55-87

‘An introduction to the Book of the O’Conor Don’, in Ó Macháin (ed.), The Book of the O’Conor Don: essays on an Irish manuscript (DIAS 2010) 1-31

‘Cíos, cás agus cathú: teagasc an Athar de Bhál 4’, An Linn Bhuí 14 (2010) 151-71

‘An Irish manuscript at Glin Castle’, in Tom Donovan (ed.), The Knights of Glin: seven centuries of change (Glin 2009) 263-71

‘Gadaithe agus Gaibhne: teagasc an Athar de Bhál 3’, An Linn Bhuí 13 (2009) 217-39

‘Irish manuscripts in the nineteenth century’, in Bernadette Cunningham and Siobhán Fitzpatrick (ed.), Treasures of the Royal Irish Academy Library (Dublin 2009) 161-71

‘Bardic poetry in the Academy’s collection of Irish manuscripts’, in Bernadette Cunningham and Siobhán Fitzpatrick (ed.), Treasures of the Royal Irish Academy Library (Dublin 2009) 57-68

‘Léiriú anaman agus altóra: teagasc an Athar de Bhál 2’, An Linn Bhuí 12 (2008) 178-203

‘The hand of Conall Ó Mórdha’, Ossory, Laois and Leinster 3 (2008) 54-72

‘The flight of the poets: Eóghan Ruadh and Fearghal Óg Mac an Bhaird in exile’, Seanchas Ard Mhacha 21-22 (2007-2008) 39-58

‘Two documents relating to Ó Conchubhair Donn’, Ériu 57 (2007) 113-19

‘The iconography of exile: Fearghal Óg Mac an Bhaird in Louvain’, in Pádraig A. Breatnach et al. (ed.), Léann lámhscríbhinní Lobháin: the Louvain manuscript heritage (Dublin 2007) 76-111

‘A crosántacht for Uilliam Búrc’, Celtica 25 (2007) 175-94

‘Teagasc an Athar de Bhál’, An Linn Bhuí 11 (2007) 97-131

‘Scribal practice and textual survival: the example of Uilliam Mac Mhurchaidh’, Scottish Gaelic Studies 22 (2006) 95-122

‘Seanmóintí Déiseacha san Irisleabhar‘, An Linn Bhuí 10 (2006) 141-50

‘General Sherman and Father Shearman’, Ossory, Laois and Leinster 2 (2006) 218-22

‘Nessa Ní Shéaghdha’, in Brian Ó Catháin (ed.), Scoláirí Léinn Léachtaí Cholm Cille 35 (Maigh Nuad 2005) 69-103

‘Beatha bheag Dhéagláin’, An Linn Bhuí 9 (2005) 22-33

‘More than meets the eye: some aspects of a digitisation project’, Irish Society for Archives Newsletter (March 2005) 1-3

‘Dhá théacs dlí’, in John Carey et al. (ed.), Cín Chille Cúile: texts, saints and places: essays in honour of Pádraig Ó Riain (Aberystwyth 2004) 309-15

‘Filíocht Athairneach II’, An Linn Bhuí 8 (2004) 165-75

‘David Rothe’s attestation in favour of William Brennan’, Ossory, Laois and Leinster 1 (2004) 202-3

‘“A llebraib imdaib”: cleachtadh agus pátrúnacht an léinn, agus déanamh na lámhscríbhinní’, in Ruairí Ó hUiginn (ed.), Oidhreacht na lámhscríbhinní Léachtaí Cholm Cille 34 (Maigh Nuad 2004) 148-78

‘Cnuasach amhrán Liam Uí Lúbaigh’, Tipperary Historical Journal (2003) 141-53

‘Filíocht Athairneach I’, An Linn Bhuí 7 (2003) 152-64

‘Tomás Ó Iceadha’s translation of the Roman Missal’, Celtica 24 (2003) 264-9

‘Poems by Fearghal Óg Mac an Bhaird’, Celtica 24 (2003) 252-63

(with Thomas F. Overlander) ‘Political activity in Cappoquin in the 1840s: Michael Cavanagh’s obituary of Hugh Collender’, Decies: Journal of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 57 (2001) 103-130

‘Litir Ghaelach, 1848’, Decies: Journal of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 57 (2001) 85-89

‘Petticoat Loose’, An Linn Bhuí 5 (2001) 210-213

‘Sir Walter Scott’s Irish manuscript’, Scottish Gaelic Studies 20 (2000) 147-55

(with Thomas F. Overlander) ‘Michael Cavanagh of Cappoquin, 1822-1900’, Decies: Journal of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 56 (2000) 97-122; and in Michael Cavanagh: His life and selected works (The Michael Cavanagh Society, Cappoquin 2010) 1-35

(with C. Mac Iomhaire, A. Nic Dhonnchadha, A. F. Smeaton) ‘The ISOS project: a digital library of Irish scripts on screen’, Sixth Annual Conference of the North American Association for Celtic Language Teachers: Proceedings (edd R. F. E. Sutcliffe and G. O Néill, Limerick 2000) 71-6

‘Tomás na Sop agus Tadhg Ó hÁinle’, An Linn Bhuí 4 (2000)146-8

‘Cúirt an ghrinn seo Ormond’, John Flood agus Phil Flood, Kilcash (Dublin 1999) 98-104, 123-4

‘Sagairt an Leasa’, An Linn Bhuí 3 (1999) 72-81

‘Irish and Scottish traditions concerning Ceathrar do bhí ar uaigh an fhir‘, Éigse 30 (1997) 7-17

‘Patrick Carmody, Irish Scholar’, Decies: Journal of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society 53 (1997) 133-43

‘Additions to the collection of Irish manuscripts at Mount Melleray Abbey‘, Éigse 30 (1997) 92-108

‘Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn: foinse dá shaothar’, Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (ed.), An dán díreach Léachtaí Cholm Cille 24 (Maigh Nuad 1994) 77-113

‘Bás file’ Éigse 27 (1993) 101-14

‘Job’s gold in medieval Ireland’, Notes and Queries 237/3 (September 1992) 265-7

‘The Early Modern Irish prosodic tracts and the editing of “Bardic Verse”‘, Hildegard L. C. Tristram (ed.), Metrik und Medienwechsel Metrics and Media (Tübingen 1991) 273-87

‘An Irish manuscript in Edinburgh University Library’, Scottish Gaelic Studies 15 (1988) 98-102

‘Rann ar Thadhg Dall’, Celtica 19 (1987) 59-60

‘Additional readings to some poems by Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn’, Celtica 18 (1986) 69-76

‘Ar bhás Chuinn Chéadchathaigh’, Éigse 21 (1986) 53-65