Researcher from Dundalk IT awarded prestigious scholarship

Dianne McPhelim, a researcher from Dundalk IT, has been awarded a prestigious Government of Ireland Postgraduate Research Scholarship through Taighde Éireann– Research Ireland.

Dianne has been awarded the scholarship for her work on one of Ireland's forgotten female voices, Mamo McDonald.

The project engages with the writings of the Monaghan woman Mamo McDonald who was an important female figure in the latter half of the twentieth century in Ireland.

Mamo McDonald was a key figure in bringing the voice of Ireland's rural communities to the fore, was a prominent campaigner for women's rights in law and health, a champion of higher education, ICA President, and later founder of Age Action.

The important legacy of Mamo McDonald has been lauded by Mary Robinson and Nell McCaffrey, and is now the focus of Dianne's work.

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Dianne's research aims to enhance engagement with tangible heritage and offer insights into ‘hidden literature’ to inform our understanding of society and the lived experience of citizens.

The project will catalogue and contextualise the writings of McDonald, digitise artefacts to create an archive with metadata, and propose and design ways of accessing and engaging with the archive.

The project will be supervised by Dr Daithí Kearney, Co-Director of the Creative Arts Research Centre at Dundalk Institute of Technology and Dr Naoise Collins, lecturer in Game Design at IADT.

Dianne recently graduated from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick with an MA in Modern Literature. She also holds a degree in Writing & Literature from ATU Sligo and is a published writer. The researcher also boasts extensive experience in the Heritage, Tourism and Community Development sectors.

Commenting on her award, Dianne said: "As a creative writer with strong administration and project management experience in the heritage sector and knowledge of the demographic region, I hope to bring a unique perspective to this project.

"My work in rural development and heritage in the border region has equipped me with empathy and an interest in the forgotten and the untold."

The three-year scholarship allows Dianne to develop her locally significant research and explore ways to attract attention to the remarkable figure that is Mamo McDonald.