Nina Cnockaert-Guillou, King's

Biographical Information

I completed my Licence Littératures, Langues, Civilisations Étrangères et Régionales Anglais in La Sorbonne-Nouvelle in Paris (2018), during which I went on an Erasmus study-exchange programme at University College Cork, in Ireland and obtained a Certificate in Irish Studies (2018). I stayed in University College Cork for my Masters in Early and Medieval Irish (2018–19, First Class Honours, with an Excellence Scholarship from the College of Arts). For my MA dissertation, I edited and translated 'Finn and Mac Lesc', a prosimetric Fenian text found in the Book of Leinster (Dublin, Trinity College, MS 1339), Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Rawlinson B 502 and Dublin, Royal Irish Academy, MS C iii 2. During the academic year 2019–20, I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Ancient and Medieval Languages in University College Cork (First Class Honours).

I am now a third-year PhD student in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (funded by a Cambridge European & King's College Scholarship). I am working on an edition, translation and analysis of the story of the three men and the dog of Irúath, found in various manuscripts such as the Book of Leinster (in poetic form, beginning 'Dám thrír táncatar illé'), and within the narrative complex of Acallam na Senórach (as prosimetrum).

I am currently a Research Assistant with the "Mapping the Medieval Mind" project, working on TEI tagging of dindshenchas texts.

I was recently involved as a Research Assistant with the "Digital Framework for the Medieval Gaelic World" project (2020–21) and the drafting of the project report. I have contributed to the Irish Sagas Online project by proofreading Old and Middle Irish texts (2019–21).

I am a member of the Association of Celtic Students. I am currently Chairperson (since the 2023 Conference) and previously was Communications Officer (2019–2023). I created and was in charge of the Celtic Students Podcast (seasons 1 and 2, 2020–21), and continue to be a regular host (season 3). I was the secretary of CCASNC (Cambridge Colloquium in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic 2022 and 2023). I was also the Communications Officer of the Cambridge Climate Society (2022–2023).

Research Interests

My main research interests are in the Irish language (from medieval to modern times), and the Finn Cycle (fíanaigecht). I am very interested in the transmission and reworking of texts/stories in medieval Irish literature and manuscripts, as well as wider issues of Textual Criticism, particularly in the field of medieval Irish studies. I have also developped interests in palaeography, Digital Humanities and digital editing.

Selected Publications

Stifter, D., Cnockaert-Guillou, N., Färber, B., Hayden, D., Ní Mhaonaigh, M., Tucker, J., Yocum, C. G., 'Developing a Digital Framework for the Medieval Gaelic World: Project Report' (2022) [https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Research/ResearchinLanguages/imdorus/Publications/].

Cnockaert-Guillou, N.,  'Chasing Mabon: A Study of the Links between Mabonagrain, Evrain and Owein based on Erec et Enide and Gereint uab Erbin', in Proceedings of the Association of Celtic Students of Ireland and Britain: Vol. VII, ed. J. Alba and K. Walker (2020), 107–24.