Dr Richard McElligott – Non-Board member of the NMI Board’s General Public Advisory Committee (January 2021-present)

Dr Richard McElligott is a native of North Kerry and is lecturer in Modern and Irish History in the Department of Business and Humanities at Dundalk IT. Richard was awarded his PhD from University College Dublin in 2012 for his thesis on the political, social and cultural impact of the GAA on Irish society between 1884-1934. Since then, he has published widely on topics ranging from the Gaelic Revival, the history of Irish sport, the Irish Revolutionary era, the history of Irish childhood, Irish associational culture and the history of women and children in Church and State-run institutions.
 
Prior to his appointment in Dundalk IT, Richard worked for four years as a senior historical researcher to the Irish Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation. He is currently a member of the GAA’s Historical Committee and is also on the board of the Irish Museum of Childhood project. Between 2017-18 Richard served as an expert curator for RTÉ’s National Treasures project. As part of the role, he oversaw the selection of a range of objects for an exhibition on the social history of Ireland since 1918 for the National Museum of Ireland: Country Life. Richard is currently working on a project to explore the impact and legacy of the Civil War on Irish society.