O'Donnell Lecture In briefDate - 10 December 2025Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareGuest speaker - Professor Brendan Kane (University of Connecticut)Title - Poetry, Pedigrees and Politics in Early Modern Irish-English RelationsAbout the O'Donnell LectureThe O’Donnell Lectures on the Celtic aspect of the archaeology and languages of Britain were established in 1954 in honour of Charles James O’Donnell.They are given in the universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Swansea and Lampeter (Trinity St David). At the University of Edinburgh, the O'Donnell Lecture is hosted annually by Celtic and Scottish Studies.About the eventThis talk is drawn from ongoing work on political thought and practice in early modern Irish-English relations. It focuses on the value of bardic poetry and of pedigrees - two immensely useful if still under-utilized sources - to mapping the contours of the political in early modern Ireland.In keeping with the spirit of the ongoing, weekly paleography Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series, it also makes a pitch for further work in the rich and varied manuscript archives in Irish and English.About the speakerBrendan Kane is from Reading, Pennsylvania, and received a BA in History from the University of Rochester, an MPhil in Irish Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a PhD from Princeton.Prior to joining the University of Connecticut in 2005, he spent a year as the NEH/Keough Fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough Institute of Irish Studies. Currently he serves as Vice-President/President-elect of the Celtic Studies Association of North America, elected Council Member of the North American Conference on British Studies, and co-director of the digital humanities project Léamh.org.His research interests include Gaelic Irish views of England and the English; Gaelic political thought; knowledge and the legitimacy of power in early modern Ireland; gender and politics; reading and teaching of Early Modern Irish (c. 1200-1650); and minoritised languages in the early modern Atlantic World.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. Registration is not required, just turn up on the day.Are you interested in Celtic and Scottish Studies?We offer three undergraduate degrees and a number of postgraduate programmes, both taught and research-led, drawing on excellent teaching and research and access to world-leading collections and archives.Find out more about Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh Tags Celtic and Scottish Studies Dec 10 2025 16.15 - 17.15 O'Donnell Lecture Join us for this year's O'Donnell Lecture by Professor Brendan Kane (University of Connecticut) entitled "Poetry, Pedigrees and Politics in Early Modern Irish-English Relations". Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue
O'Donnell Lecture In briefDate - 10 December 2025Venue - Project Room 1.06, 50 George SquareGuest speaker - Professor Brendan Kane (University of Connecticut)Title - Poetry, Pedigrees and Politics in Early Modern Irish-English RelationsAbout the O'Donnell LectureThe O’Donnell Lectures on the Celtic aspect of the archaeology and languages of Britain were established in 1954 in honour of Charles James O’Donnell.They are given in the universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Swansea and Lampeter (Trinity St David). At the University of Edinburgh, the O'Donnell Lecture is hosted annually by Celtic and Scottish Studies.About the eventThis talk is drawn from ongoing work on political thought and practice in early modern Irish-English relations. It focuses on the value of bardic poetry and of pedigrees - two immensely useful if still under-utilized sources - to mapping the contours of the political in early modern Ireland.In keeping with the spirit of the ongoing, weekly paleography Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series, it also makes a pitch for further work in the rich and varied manuscript archives in Irish and English.About the speakerBrendan Kane is from Reading, Pennsylvania, and received a BA in History from the University of Rochester, an MPhil in Irish Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a PhD from Princeton.Prior to joining the University of Connecticut in 2005, he spent a year as the NEH/Keough Fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough Institute of Irish Studies. Currently he serves as Vice-President/President-elect of the Celtic Studies Association of North America, elected Council Member of the North American Conference on British Studies, and co-director of the digital humanities project Léamh.org.His research interests include Gaelic Irish views of England and the English; Gaelic political thought; knowledge and the legitimacy of power in early modern Ireland; gender and politics; reading and teaching of Early Modern Irish (c. 1200-1650); and minoritised languages in the early modern Atlantic World.How to attendThis event is free to attend and open to all. Registration is not required, just turn up on the day.Are you interested in Celtic and Scottish Studies?We offer three undergraduate degrees and a number of postgraduate programmes, both taught and research-led, drawing on excellent teaching and research and access to world-leading collections and archives.Find out more about Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh Tags Celtic and Scottish Studies Dec 10 2025 16.15 - 17.15 O'Donnell Lecture Join us for this year's O'Donnell Lecture by Professor Brendan Kane (University of Connecticut) entitled "Poetry, Pedigrees and Politics in Early Modern Irish-English Relations". Project Room 1.06 50 George Square University of Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue
Dec 10 2025 16.15 - 17.15 O'Donnell Lecture Join us for this year's O'Donnell Lecture by Professor Brendan Kane (University of Connecticut) entitled "Poetry, Pedigrees and Politics in Early Modern Irish-English Relations".
