For a long time, Frances Nadeau was something of a mystery to the GMM Team. Thanks to her admission records, we knew that she was Irish-born from Co. Armagh, a Catholic, and a mother with a history of post-partum psychosis. She was a patient during Dr. Joseph Workman’s time in charge of the PLA, but … Continue reading Frances Mullen Nadeau
Research
Research Radar – John Brady
"If I’m away, say for a conference, I’m always looking for good ramen."
Research Radar Redux – J. Marie Perkins
"I’ve found that having a mid-day reset works wonders."
Research Radar Redux – Gabrielle Machnik-Kekesi
People regularly ask me, “why Ireland?” I used to have all kinds of cheeky and, looking back on it, not-so-clever responses. Now I just say, “why not?”
Research Radar Redux – Jane McGaughey
I might have sworn. Loudly. In Rare Books and Music. My bad.
Letitia Stephens
AO, RG 10 20-B-4, 1, Provincial Lunatic Asylum Register, "Letitia Stephens." We’re not exactly sure when Letitia Stephens arrived in the Canadas, but she certainly was part of the pre-Famine wave of Irish immigrants, likely crossing the Atlantic in either the 1820s or the 1830s. Her first committal papers at the Provincial Lunatic Asylum in … Continue reading Letitia Stephens
Collaborative Writing
[W]e spent several hours just talking through what we have found...
Sidelined
"My memory is that I made it back to the bedroom as if I had become a new team member on Floor is Lava. It probably looked much worse in real life."
Research Radar – Cian T. McMahon
'I also make a point every evening of organizing, labelling, and filing away in my hard-drive everything I collect on that day so that I don’t return to a huge, undifferentiated, digital pile of photos with names like “IMG_2874.”'
Research Radar – Peggy Regan
"Favourite form of procrastination?" "Another cup of tea."
Research Radar – Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha
"I...agree with what many others have said here about imposter syndrome. Everyone has it, and if you don’t, what’s your secret?"
Research Radar – Tim McMahon
"I don’t know that I could have finished my doctoral dissertation if it weren’t for periodic trips to the batting cage."
Research Radar – Jim MacPherson
"The great bell hooks was spot on when she talked about how her work focused on challenging the ‘imperialist white supremacist heteropatriarchy’ – and that’s a fine path to follow."
The “Limerick Girls”
"What is most disappointing here is that these harmful stereotypes are being communicated and perpetuated by the very people who are supposed to be welcoming and supporting the newly arrived emigrants."
Research Radar – Audrey Walshe
"I think it is important to remember that feeling overwhelmed is normal."
Research Radar – Matina Skalkogiannis
"I definitely miss interactions, and absolutely soak them up when I am on campus."
Research Radar – Martina Hynan
"We have the most innovative women artists here in Ireland, and I want to be part of bringing that rich history into the core of Irish Studies as a field."
When Work Feeds Your Addiction: Researching with Ancestry.com
"Many academics recognize that working with Ancestry.com and genealogical data can become quite addictive. That’s me: I am one of those historians."
Research Radar – Rebecca Barr
"[A] mordant sense of humour is a great resource when surrounded by people taking themselves too seriously."
Not Feeling ‘Excel’lent
"My confession: I don’t know how to use Excel."
Research Radar – Dean Farrell
"[L]earning how to do a PhD is a process. Balance is a goal that is important to work towards, but be kind to yourself and make it work for you."
The Number Paradox
"We did it. We found the Holy Grail."
Research Radar – Julie Guyot
"Even though there is no scientific proof to back me up, I have always found that listening to classical music heightens my receptivity and creativity."
The Brothers Douglas
"Sometimes, as a way to re-envision the lived reality of the people we write about, I play a little game..."
Research Radar – Kate Bevan-Baker
"When I’m practicing or composing new musical ideas, voice memos on my iPhone are invaluable."
Research Radar – Darragh Gannon
"I have to have tea/coffee on hand when I’m writing. It serves as a useful coping mechanism for when words are not appearing during the creative process."
Research Radar – Aileen Ruane
"Everyone works on their conference papers right up till the day they present, especially on the voyage to the conference."
Prioritizing Propensities
"Invariably, I will ignore whatever outline I came up with earlier in the process."
Research Radar – Teresa Dunne
"[W]hen they opened up the library again and I could actually browse the shelves, I didn't know what to do with myself... so much freedom!"
Research Radar – José Alavez
"It is essential to write every day. The faster you put your ideas in black and white, the better."
Research Radar – Carmen Mangion
"Pots of Darjeeling to keep me going. Also, lots of Cadbury milk chocolate. I have simple needs."
Collecting and Organizing Data: The GMM Project’s Guiding Principles
Early on in the project, we realized we needed specific guidelines for the collection of data from very different archival sources.
Research Radar – Michele Holmgren
"[G]rant applications aren't a lot of work for nothing. Sometimes you get money if you do one."
Game, Dataset, Match!
"So, what are we going to do with all those entries? How are we going to analyse them?"
Research Radar – Ali Kenefick
"What it comes down to is that you are the expert on your work. You have to trust that."
The Season of the Grant
"There is an art to grant writing... It takes a different set of skills."
Research Radar – Sadie Gilker
"Oh my god. Just ask for help. You’re not supposed to know it all."
Research Radar – Máirtín Coilféir
"As usual, I have too many books on the go for my own good."
Research Radar – Giselle Gonzalez Garcia
"I listen to music, go for a long walk, or binge-watch Outlander on Netflix."
Archival Love
"So, as a bit of Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend-filler, I thought I would make a completely subjective-and-not-at-all-scientific list..."
Research Radar – Nancy Ávila-Ledesma
"There are so many people that have inspired me in one way or another..."
Research Radar – Meaghan Landrigan-Buttle
"Cue cards have become a lifeline..."
Research Radar – Zan Cammack
"I have a long-standing crush on the Abbey Theatre Digital Archive at National University of Ireland, Galway. That’s normal, right?"
“You-Know-Who”
"I don’t think anyone in our project deserves to be made into a Voldemort."
Research Radar – Molly-Claire Gillett
"PhD work can be lonely, and these tools helped me to combat that."
Research Radar – Gabrielle Machnik-Kekesi
"If I can avoid doing it on the computer, I do."
Disease-Related Deaths: A Cycle
"Noting the rise in cases, a spike, and then a gradual petering out over time was incredibly calming during the summer of 2020..."
Gender, Migration, and Madness Research Project 