David Stifter 🍵📄🦊
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davidstifter.bsky.social
David Stifter 🍵📄🦊
@davidstifter.bsky.social
Ollamh le Sean- ⁊ Meán-Ghaeilge, BARE
Ceann Scoil an Léinn Cheiltigh in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad 🇮🇪
Taighdeoir ar ᚑᚌ(ᚆ)ᚐᚋ OG(H)AM ⁊ DiAgnostic
⚫️⚪️
https://maynoothuniversity.ie/faculty-arts-celtic-studies-philosophy/our-people/david-stifter
Is calóg shneachta ar leith thú.
Mar na calóga ar fad eile.
November 10, 2025 at 5:49 AM
The fourth speaker from Early Irish Maynooth was Tiago De Oliveira Veloso Silva (supervisors @niamhwycherley.bsky.social @thecelticist.bsky.social) with the historical talk "Giving while taking: the freedom of Clonard and aggressive patronage", funded by a @researchireland.ie Pathway Grant.
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November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Olly Dorgan-Hughes @grainneoga.bsky.social wrote an MA about "Dúan in chethrachat cest: a Middle Irish poem of questions" under my supervision last academic year; her conferal was last week.
She will present an extended version of her talk next week at the Tionól of @scs-dias.bsky.social.
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November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
This morning, my own PhD student Paul Le Meur-Bouthemy presented "Preliminary methodological problems in assessing diatopic variations in Old Irish" as part of my DiⒶgnostic project, funded by a @researchireland.ie Advanced Laureate Award.
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November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Four of our own students presented their research. Yesterday it was River Atwood Tabor (supervisors @thecelticist.bsky.social & Barry Lewis, @scs-dias.bsky.social) who spoke about "In the grove of the Llatai: The avifaunal poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym".
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November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
In the past two days, the Maynooth Early Irish postgraduate students organised the *Widame Conference for Postgraduate Scholars in Celtic Studies @ceilteachomn.bsky.social @maynoothuniversity.ie @muahi.bsky.social. We had the pleasure to welcome speakers from universities in six countries.
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November 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
The enshittification of Duolinguo has been proceding at a steady pace for a while, but it has now reached new levels.
They have introduced "energy levels" which stop you from doing several exercises in a row, unless you sign up.
No, Duolinguo, practicising languages does NOT drain my energy.
November 4, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Breathnaigh ar na daoine rathúla sin ar fad. Níl tú ina measc.
November 3, 2025 at 5:38 AM
𝗗𝗶Ⓐ𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 19
A few words about the dissemination of the DiⒶgnostic research. Later this week, my PhD student Paul Le Meur-Bouthemy will give a talk at the student-organised conference *Widame at @maynoothuniversity.ie about “First steps in designing a linguistic methodology to identify...
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November 2, 2025 at 8:31 AM
I am currently writing a pamphlet about the impact of palaeogenetics on (Insular) Celtic and Irish Studies. This is what I will say.
November 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I don't know, I don't think the solution would be so metaphysical. I also don't think that the holy spirit is ever thought of personified.
I attach here my own attempts, without claiming that this necessarily must be the solution.
October 31, 2025 at 3:26 PM
This is the sole manuscript copy of this Old Irish poem.
If anyone knows what the solution of this riddle is, please tell me.
I don't.
October 31, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I am in Samhain mood today. Here is the first of the two riddle-poems at the beginning of the Milan MS Ambr. C. 301 infra, most famous for its Old Irish glosses.

It's a riddle that speaks about a mysterious phantom-like apparition.
The text is my edition and translation.
October 31, 2025 at 1:27 PM
The upcoming postgrad conference *Widame in the Department of Early Irish @ceilteachomn.bsky.social @maynoothuniversity.ie has a very interesting & diverse programme ⬇️. Two of my students, Paul Le Meur-Bouthemy & Olly Dorgan-Hughes will be speaking.

Registration at: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
October 31, 2025 at 8:46 AM
The contemporary cult of Hallowe'en is bearing ever stranger fruit.
October 31, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Samhain night is upon us, and yours truly has been interviewed about it (as if I were an expert) for an article in the Austrian newspaper @derstandard.at. The article even mentions samoni, the Gaulish cognate of Samhain.

www.derstandard.at/story/310000...

Herzlichen Dank, Reinhard Kleindl.
October 31, 2025 at 6:03 AM
My MA student 🥂 Olly Dorgan-Hughes 🎆 was conferred a Master of Arts for her "New edition of Dúan in chethrachat cest and its glosses", a perplexing MIr. question poem.
Olly's dedicated research was so fantastic that she is now turning it now into an article.

Superb job @grainneoga.bsky.social!
October 30, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Postgraduate conferrings in @maynoothuniversity.ie today:

🎆My (former) PhD student Dr Francesco Felici was officially conferred with the degree today for his thesis 🍾

"Now you're talking... Old Irish. Towards a conversational approach to teaching Old Irish".

Huge congratulations, Francesco!
October 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Pleasant surprise in the morning session of the "Samhain Industries" conference at @muahi.bsky.social @maynoothuniversity.ie today:

Frédéric Armao (Uni Toulon), speaking about samhain in the metal music tradition, quoted a few lines in Gaulish by me, put to music by the band Eluveitie.
October 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Níl do shaol ag ardú ach go dtite tú de ard nua.
October 27, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Old Irish glosses:
Berlin, Preuss. Kulturbesitz MS. lat. qu. 690

gl. 15: fubide "spoiled" gl. uitiatum, corruptum

CorPH ID S0013-15 (115197)
chronhib.maynoothuniversity.ie/chronhibWebs...
October 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
... that he turned into a werewolf.
October 24, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I am just back from my masterclass today, teaching the coolest and most exciting of all topics of medieval Ireland: metrical analysis of Early Irish poetry.
Teaching six hours in a row was exhausting, for me as lecturer and for the students and guests. The strain was so much for one of them...
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October 24, 2025 at 3:37 PM
In addition to my own books on Ogam (shop.universitybooks.ie/Books/OGAM_9...) and Cisalpine Celtic (shop.universitybooks.ie/Books/CISALP...), the AELAW booklets on Gaulish and Celtiberian are now also available from universitybooks.ie (although they are not listed on the website yet).
October 24, 2025 at 2:37 AM
3. a Government of Ireland Doctoral Scholarship by @researchireland.ie.

Many congratulations to our fantastic students who illustrate so forcefully the quality of teaching and research in the Maynooth Department of Early Irish!
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October 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM