PhD student research interests
Alan Boyle
Topic of PhD thesis
The Gaelic League and its influence on the policies of the Irish government in 1922.
Research interests
The Gaelic League had attempted to arrest the seemingly irreversible progress of Ireland towards becoming a province of Britain by encouraging the use of the Irish language. The government of 1922 tried to impose a policy of compulsory Irish in its schools.I am interested in this topic because I am part Irish through my parents and hold an Irish passport. My ancestors were actively involved in the period between 1893 and 1922 and I have had first- hand accounts of the events of those troubled times.
Background, other interests and plans
I have a full time job as a teacher in a High School in Wigan. My interests include mountain walking and I am the teacher in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh Award at Standish High School. I am also interested in travel and sport. I have two dogs. My first degree was in English at the University of Liverpool and I read for my masters at the University of Lancaster, where my dissertation was on the Maria Edgeworth novel, Castle Rackrent. I am also extremely interested in the political situation in Northern Ireland, partly because of my time spent there and my study of Ulster Scots. When I have completed my doctorate, I would like to write and lecture. I would also like to complete a masters in Irish Studies. Because of my Irish connections, I also have the opportunity ot do some research at University College Cork and am a member of the National Library of Ireland.
My e-mail address is alan.j.boyle@stud.man.ac.uk.