We are thrilled to announce our keynote speakers for Celtic Knot 2024! This year, we have the honour of hosting researchers whose work contributes to the preservation and promotion of minority and Celtic languages.
Dr. Kevin Scannell, a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Saint Louis University, will share his experience in developing computing resources for under-resourced languages. Dr. Scannell’s contributions include creating language tools for Irish, Scottish, and Manx Gaelics, and he is known for his role in localising platforms like Gmail, Twitter, and WhatsApp into Irish. His initiatives such as Indigenous Tweets and his contributions to Vicipéid (Irish-language Wikipedia) and Wikidata have been crucial in promoting the use of minority languages in digital spaces.
Dr. Maggie Glass is a lecturer in the Department of English Linguistics at TU Dortmund. Her research primarily focuses on minority language revitalisation through technology, with a special examination of language policy, as well as an examination of the linguistic landscapes in the Kaiserslautern Military Community. Dr. Glass co-chairs Working Group 4 (Language diversity, vitality, and endangerment) of the COST Action Language in the Human Machine Era (LITHME) and heads the Ethics Committee. Additionally, she co-created the ‘Virtual Communities as Breathing Spaces for Speakers of Minority Languages’ concept together with Dr Guillem Belmar.
Prof. Rióna Ní Fhrighil is the Principal Investigator of the research project Republic of Conscience: Human Rights and Irish Poetry, funded by an Irish Research Council Laureate Award. Prof. Ní Fhrighil is a graduate of the University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin. She holds a joint first-class honours BA (International) degree in German and Irish (NUIG), an MPhil in Applied Linguistics (TCD) and a PhD in Modern Irish (NUIG). Her doctoral research was a comparative study of the poetry of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Eavan Boland. She is currently a lecturer in New Irish, Social & Celtic Studies at the University of Galway.
We are currently working on finalising the 2024 program schedule. Please keep an eye out for updates. More information regarding the conference program and schedule will be available soon!
Registration for the conference is open for those attending in person and virtually via [this link] and, as a reminder, the venue has extended the special rate accommodation available to book directly with the Tower Hotel.
