iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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National Library of Ireland @nlireland.bsky.social · 17h

🇮🇪 Historical Fiction | Ficsean Stairiúil Join us for a bilingual discussion on writing the history of 16th & 17th-century Ireland, as part of Dublin Festival of History. With Marie-Louise Coolahan, Deirdre Serjeantson & author Liam MacCóil. 📅 8 Oct | 6.30pm ow.ly/i6kX50ZPJAw

ow.ly

Historical fiction/Ficsean stairiúil

Telling Stories of Early Modern Ireland

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 13h

#Earlymodern books and space: fascinating insight of a female student using the title page to practice writing (and maybe numbers too?) @martinevanelk.bsky.social #herbook

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 13h

Yes, I would see this as definitely two different scribes. It’s clearly a child learning by to write. To me it looks like the top is written for her by her teacher and she’s used the opportunity to practice below. Not uncommon in school books. Interesting #herbook example

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Richard Bell @richardbell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My new book, Imprisonment in Early Modern England: Politics, Debt and the Origins of a Carceral Society, is (sort of) out now! Currently available online for anyone with institutional access: www.cambridge.org/core/books/i...

Book cover of Richard Thomas Bell, Imprisonment in Early Modern England: Politics, Debt and the Origins of a Carceral Society

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

It’s like it was sketched by a Leinster man who couldn’t really be bothered with Munster 😜

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Lovely sketched Irish heraldry by #17c historian, Sir James Ware, incl. coat of arms of Ireland with an argent issuing from triple towered tower. However, the three antique crowns is Munster and the armed hand is Connacht. That featuring a (red) stag walking is actually that of the MacCarthy Mór

Sketch of Irish coat of arms of Ireland with an argent issuing from triple towered tower by Sir James Ware. He mistakes Leinster for Munster, and Munster for Connacht, however. The three antique crowns is Munster and the armed hand is Connacht. Also, the kings of Cork featuring a stag walking is actually that of the MacCarthy Mór

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emherstory.bsky.social @emherstory.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Relieved to send in the page proofs for my Esther Inglis biography yesterday! Should be out by the end of the year 😊

Book cover for biography of Esther Inglis from EUP

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I’d pay treble the price for that book

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Reminds me when I delivered a lecture on Gilbert in my Tudor Ireland course and a Newfoundland student was in total disbelief about Gilbert’s record in Ireland. He had previously studied in England so my instant reaction was “wait till I tell you about this fella Cromwell” 😂

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The latest OECD report on student use of AI isn’t exactly a rink g endorsement of your institution’s guidance... FT were only paper to pick up on this: www.ft.com/content/0b38...

ft.com

Reading scores plummet as ‘digital distraction’ harms students

Widespread access to AI and social media has set back educational attainment across the world, study shows

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

And loving the full range of periods. Something for everyone. Congratulations Elva

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This is an AMAZING manuscript 😍😍 Worth reading this and definitely worth visiting. More pleasingly, the person who wrote the briefing for RTE has noted that the MSS used to be owned by Sir James Ware, one of Ireland’s greatest historians who I’ve had the pleasure of researching. Book forthcoming

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Danielle Clarke @rhetorician.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Superb review of the groundbreaking anthology of women’s poetry from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, edited by a team of multilingual scholars, led by my former colleague and boss Sarah Prescott and my dear friend @mlcoolahan.bsky.social app.the-tls.com/219115/conte...

app.the-tls.com

Daughter, be splendid

Four centuries of women’s poetryverse from Ireland, Scotland and Wales

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Dr. Nick Posegay @nposegay.northsky.social · 25/08/2026

This is a 12th-century list of property that a fabulously wealthy Egyptian Jewish woman is bringing into her marriage (and what she's owed in case of divorce). Items include a gold tiara (80 dinars), a crystal rooster (4 dinars), a Chinese pen set (13 dinars), and 250(!) dinars' worth of books.

A single dark brown paper manuscript leaf that's been folded into quadrants. Approximately 30 lines of Judaeo-Arabic text in black ink is spread between 2 columns. The leaf sits on a blue background next to a yellow label reading T-S J1.29 (https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-J-00001-00029/1)

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

A well used bible but love detailed imagery. This Lutheran Bible (Nuremberg, 1747) was brought to Moncton, New Brunswick #Canada, by Heinrich Stief in 1766. Effectively a new edition at the time but no doubt used for German settler community and possibly a tool to convert the natives #bookhistory

Lutheran Bible (Nuremberg, 1747). Brought to Moncton, New Brunswick, by Heinrich Stief in 1766

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RCP museum @rcpmuseum.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

To celebrate #WorldHoneyBeeDay we thought we’d share a couple medicinal recipes featuring honey in the recipe books of the RCP archive. Kicking off with a classic from Lady Sedley’s 1686 book – ‘To make hayre grow’. . . with helpful accompanying illustration of expected growth 😆. #histmed 1/3

Page from a recipe book with recipe reading:

To make Hayre grow

Take an Egg rost it the embers till it be hard
then take the yolk, and halfe so much fresh butter,
and as much Pepper as will lye on a kniwfes point, add
as much hony as will make it into an ointment
and soo anonyt the head with it -

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

This is such an enjoyable piece. Well worth the read 👇👇👇

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

And no better person! Congratulations. Cavendish and her works are so popular with students when taught the right way. This will be invaluable

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Elise Watson @ewatson.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

#earlymodern #bookhistory Workshop Call for Papers: Women’s Professional Networks in the Early Modern Book Trade, University of Edinburgh 6-7 May 2027 Please feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

Call for Papers
Women’s Professional Networks in the Early Modern Book Trade
University of Edinburgh
6-7 May 2027

Over the past two decades, women’s book history and feminist bibliography have exploded with renewed interest. Even so, women’s work is still to an extent seen as an exception or curiosity. It examines them from a gender history perspective, asking to what extent their relationships were influenced or determined by constructions of femininity. Proposals should therefore involve a dimension of gender analysis beyond simply the inclusion of female subjects.

This conference will seek to explore (but is not limited to) to the following themes and questions:

*Gendered Networks. To what extent were professional book trade networks gendered? How did these networks intersect with other types of women’s networks, whether they be familial, friendly, religious, political, or intellectual?
*Identity and Representation. Did women express professional solidarity with other women, and how did this manifest? How did women’s self-representation in imprints and paratext differ from men’s?
*Legal and Structural Considerations. In what ways were women’s professional networks dependent on legal structures of inheritance in their region, or participation in guilds? How did these networks stretch across economic and class divisions?
*Digital Approaches. Can digital humanities tools such as network visualisation effectively help document these relationships?

The conference will also host the launch of a new collaborative database sourcing biographical information about women in the early modern book trade.

Contributions will be published in a volume of conference proceedings, to be submitted by the end of 2027.

Proposals for papers of maximum 20 minutes, including title, an abstract of up to 300 words, and a biography of up to 150 words should be sent to Dr Elise Watson, elise.watson@ed.ac.uk, by 20 December 2026. While all papers will be delivered in person, virtual attendance will be available as well.

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

It’s the annual Tudor and Stuart Ireland conference this week with its usual fabulous array of papers and speakers. Of particular note is session 3 on #earlymodern Irish women. Details and registration here: tudorstuartireland.com/2026-confere...

Programme of Tudor and Stuart Ireland conference day 1

Programme of Tudor and Stuart Ireland conference day 2

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Great stuff, Mark. Really interesting concept and structure. Congrats

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National Library of Ireland @nlireland.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

'Irish Migrants in Early Modern Europe' 💻 Online talk by Prof Marian Lyons. ⌚ 25 Aug, 3-4pm Opening lecture of the 'Strangers to Citizens' talk series, part of the official Cultural Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the European Council. Register: www.nli.ie/exhibitions-...

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

This is a fantastic blog that examines how we should think about #earlymodern marginalia & #bookhistory. Of the examples provided there are also two by women who owned works by Shakespeare #herbook. Paging @martinevanelk.bsky.social @rossmith.bsky.social @franceswolfreston.bsky.social

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Now there’s a daunting high bar for any prospective fellow

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John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

4 Aug 1633: Preaching at Christ Church #Dublin #otd on the text 'Tu es Petrus', John Bramhall, Lord Deputy Wentworth's chaplain causes consternation by suggesting that the Church of #Rome might be a 'real' church, just in error, rather than no church (Sidney Sussex/NLI)

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

You might even get another destination at going rate! All these editions & innovative approaches in one compilation are great but it excludes so many who need it (partic independent scholars) if only accessible via institutions. And while I get access as contributor I’d always prefer a print version

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Elizabeth (Liz) Lehfeldt (she/her/hers) @lizlehfeldt.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Giving this cfp a boost: please consider submitting something. Our Forum feature is a great home for shorter pieces. #earlymodern

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I struggled with modernisation in my IMC warrants book and Ware diary in which I transcribed the original only to be informed that I must modernise because it had to be accessible to a general audience. The other issue (for me) was using it as a teaching resource as modernisation made less impact

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Doesn’t seem to be the standard practice generally. Isn’t the accepted rule to quote as appears from the source? So a MSS wouldn’t be modernised but you could quote from a 19c edition (e.g. Ussher’s works) which is modernised

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This is one of those editions that will stand the test of time. Students, academics and general readers will be forever grateful. Big shoutout to co-editors: my former boss @mlcoolahan.bsky.social & fun colleague Wes Hamrick. Most importantly it’s OPEN ACCESS: www.cambridge.org/core/books/w...

cambridge.org

Women's Poetry from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, 1400–1800: An Anthology

Cambridge Core - Literary Texts - Women's Poetry from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, 1400–1800: An Anthology

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UCD Archives @ucdarchives.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

If anyone is considering editing something from our collections, we will happily supply a digital copy at no cost. Please contact Kate (archives at ucd dot ie).

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reedproject.bsky.social @reedproject.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The Records of Early English Drama is delighted to announce the open access publication of the tenth digital edition in the REED series. The dramatic records for the Swan Playhouse, edited by Sally-Beth MacLean, are now available on REED Online (ereed.org/collections/...).

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Earlier this week I was informed that “The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Early Modern Women's Writing” is now published. It's a phenomenal effort by the editors but selling at a phenomenal price too. I've published some stuff in it so if any one doesn't have access happy to share my work #earlymodern

Feature-length article on early modern female book ownership (c. 1500-1700)

Biographical entry on seventeenth-century French novelist Madame de La Fayette

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

And if you're not in Galway you can hear Prof Steven Ellis discuss St Nicholas's Church during the reformation here: podcasts.apple.com/eg/podcast/p... OR read his superb open access article published here: er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER...

podcasts.apple.com

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

This is an enjoyable read. Have you by any chance read Hiram Morgan’s brilliant chapter ‘The island defenders: humanist patriots in early modern Iceland and Ireland’ (2002)? Well worth it if you haven’t

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Milda Kvizikevičiūtė @mildakviz.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

We often say that books hide stories. This time, one quite literally did. Secret compartment was hollowed out in this collection of sermons. 🕵️ #earlymodern #rarebooks #secretcompartment

Open eighteenth-century printed book showing a title page with a large rectangular cavity cut through hundreds of pages. The hollowed-out compartment, carved into the paper block to conceal a small object, reveals the layered edges of the pages and creates a hidden compartment within the book.

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Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 20/06/2026

This week we also published 'The Correspondence of Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, 1640–1691', edited by Evan Bourke: bit.ly/4ouSa1l This is the latest volume in @royalhistsoc.org's Camden Series of primary source editions, published online & print by CUP: bit.ly/4oxm5Ga #Skystorians 1/2

bit.ly

Letters of Lady Ranelagh (1640-91): new Camden volume published - RHS

The latest volume in the Society's Camden Series of primary source materials is The Correspondence of Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, 1640–1691, edited by Evan Bourke. Published on 11 June, thi...

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STEMMA: Systems of Transmitting Early Modern Manuscript Verse @stemma.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

As promised! The @uniofgalwaycasscs.bsky.social has generously provided support for two days of public-facing ms activities this July. The events will be free of charge, and there is funding for ECR travel (defined as ≤7 years post-PhD, with preference for those not yet in permanent employment). 1/

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Elizabeth (Liz) Lehfeldt (she/her/hers) @lizlehfeldt.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Super-niche query based on my ongoing research on #earlymodern women and accounting: is there any work that's been done on Spanish women and numeracy--or even numeracy in Spain more generally? I'm thinking of something similar to @afroide.bsky.social and @jmotis.bsky.social 's work on England.

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I missed this earlier but it’s yet another terrific #HerBook piece by @franceswolfreston.bsky.social. I’ve done a small bit of work on female gift giving (out soon!) but more needs to be done. And come on, how can you not resist a read by an owner named Dulcibella Dunch??? #earlymodern

byfranceswolfreston.bsky.social

Bluesky

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Dictionary of Irish Biography @dib.ie · 30/06/2026

#DIBLives #OTD 1922 a huge explosion at the Public Records Office in the Four Courts destroyed centuries of Irish administrative, legal & genealogical records. @virtualtreasury.bsky.social has spent years recreating many of these records & made them freely available to the public. virtualtreasury.ie

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Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

It feels like this is the inevitable culmination of "hidden histories" and "untold stories" combined with "we can't footnote your work, that would be awkward for the reader." But at its core, it's just the result of an utter lack of respect for the labor and expertise of an entire field.

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Jeez, I’m not quite sure what’s more beautiful: that handwriting or the house

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Congratulations. I’ve always thought about the endless opportunities of a market book based on impact/contribution of #earlymodern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in shaping England. I’m continually surprised by scholars of England and lack of awareness re significance of Irish/Scottish/Welsh politics

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

More of us should think about doing this. The hardest part is always excluding the stuff we discover so this would fill that void in some respects

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

What a great idea. Congratulations on the book. The whole subject matter is as enticing as the cover itself. Whoever said don’t judge a book by its cover…???

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Society of Antiquaries of Scotland @socantscot.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

NEW OPEN ACCESS E-BOOK: 'Atlas of Scottish History to 1707' Almost 15 years in the making, the atlas contains maps, diagrams, plans, charts and tables covering the history of Scotland from the earliest times up to 1707, along with explanatory texts: books.socantscot.org/digital-book...

Black illustration on a blue background with overlaid text: New Open Access E-book

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Mark Empey @memps2.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Amazing abbey. I'll never forget being blown away by the Romanesque architecture. It was upon seeing St Benedict remains that I first thought my medievalist father wasn't so boring after all (from a teenager's perspective this was a significant development 😂)

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