Professor of Celtic (Glasgow) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chair of Celtic University of Glasgow
Incumbent Thomas Clancy
Formation	1956
First holder	Angus Matheson
Website	www.gla.ac.uk/celtic

The Chair of Celtic is a special teaching position at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. It was created in 1956. This position focuses on the Celtic language and its literature. It was made possible by money given by a merchant named James Crawford, the Ross Trust, and a university group called the Ossianic Society.

A Look Back: The Celtic Chair's Story

In 1942, a merchant named James Crawford passed away. He worked with dyes and chemicals. Mr. Crawford left some of his money to the university. He wanted it to be used to start a special teaching role for Celtic language and stories.

How the Chair Began

The Chair of Celtic was officially started in 1956. It used the money from James Crawford. Other groups also helped, like the university's Ossianic Society and the Ross Trust. The very first professor for this role was Angus Matheson. He was appointed in 1956.

Professor Matheson had been a senior lecturer in Celtic at the university before. He stayed in the new professor role until he passed away in 1962.

Important Professors: Derick Thomson

In 1963, Derick Thomson became the next professor. He was also known by his Scottish Gaelic name, Ruaraidh MacThòmais. Before this, he taught Welsh at the university from 1949 to 1956. Then, he led the Celtic Department at the University of Aberdeen.

Professor Thomson was very busy. He edited Scottish Gaelic Studies, a magazine from the Aberdeen department. He also started Gairm, a Gaelic magazine that ran for over 50 years. He wrote many poems too. The university gave him an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2007. This is a special award for great achievements.

More Professors: Donald MacAulay and Cathair Ó Dochartaigh

When Professor Thomson retired in 1991, Donald MacAulay took over. MacAulay was also from the University of Aberdeen. He had taken over as editor of Scottish Gaelic Studies in 1978. Professor MacAulay led the Celtic Chair from 1991 until 1995.

After MacAulay, an Irish scholar named Cathair Ó Dochartaigh became professor in 1995. He had studied at Queen's University Belfast. He also earned his PhD from the University of Aberdeen. He taught Celtic at Aberdeen from 1972 to 1983. Before coming to Glasgow, he worked outside of universities in Dublin and North Wales.

The Current Professor: Thomas Owen Clancy

In 2005, an American scholar named Thomas Owen Clancy became the next professor. He studied at New York University. He earned his PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Professor Clancy is an expert in Celtic literature from the early Middle Ages. This time is sometimes called the "Dark Ages."

In 2001, Professor Clancy shared an interesting idea. He suggested that St Ninian, an early missionary, might have been linked to St Finnian. St Ninian worked among the Pictish people in what is now Scotland. Professor Clancy thought a writing mistake from the 8th century caused confusion. He noted that the letters "u" and "n" looked very similar in old handwriting.

Where the Chair is Located

Today, the Chair of Celtic is part of the Department of Celtic and Gaelic. This department is in the School of Humanities, which is part of the College of Arts at the University of Glasgow.

Professors of Celtic

Here is a list of the professors who have held the Chair of Celtic:

• 1956 - Angus Matheson
• 1963 - Derick Thomson
• 1991 - Donald Macaulay
• 1995 - Cathair Ó Dochartaigh
• 2005 - Thomas Clancy