Biography

Born and brought up in Belfast. He was Professor of Modern Irish Language and Literature at University College, Dublin from 1998-2008, and has published numerous articles and books about Gaeilge and Gaelic language and culture. He is a member of the Society for Dialectology and Geolinguistics, and editor of Atlas Linguarum Europae (UNESCO) and the Modern Irish Dictionary (Royal Irish Academy). He is the co-founder of Oideas Gael, which was set up in Donegal in 1984 and has now become one of the most successful Irish language course providers in Ireland.