Home ▻ Colleges & Schools▻College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies▻Staff Profiles

Staff Profiles

Dr Deirdre Byrnes

BA, MPhil, PhD

Contact Details

Senior Lecturer
Arts Millennium Building
T: +353 91 492014
E: deirdre.byrnes@nuigalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr. Deirdre Byrnes is Head of German and Senior Lecturer at University of Galway. She is a graduate of University College Cork, where she obtained a BA in German and French (First Class Honours), a Higher Diploma in Education, and an MPhil (First Class Honours). She was awarded her PhD from University College Dublin. Deirdre was the recipient of numerous awards, including a DAAD undergraduate scholarship which enabled her to study at the University of Heidelberg, and the Boyle Postgraduate Scholarship in German from University College Cork. She conducted much of the research for her MPhil at the University of Konstanz. As a doctoral student, she was the recipient of a DAAD postgraduate research scholarship and studied at the University of Potsdam and the Freie Universität Berlin. She was also awarded a postgraduate research scholarship from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 
Deirdre is course director of Legal German at University of Galway and is responsible for the coordination, curriculum design and delivery of the Legal German module on the Civil Law, Law and Business, Law and Human Rights, and Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice programmes. She teaches the seminar "Law in Literature" to Second Year Arts students and the seminar "The Novella in German Literature" to Final Year Arts students. She also contributes to the Final Year Global Languages module "Memory, Memorialisation and the Representation of Conflict". Deirdre delivers the module "Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond" to students of the MA in International Contemporary Literatures and Media.
Deirdre's research interests include GDR literature, contemporary women writers in German-language literature, in particular Katja Petrowskaja, generational memory transmission, contested memories and forms of memorialisation in the Berlin Republic. She has published extensively on Monika Maron, including a monograph Rereading Monika Maron: Text, Counter-Text and Context (Peter Lang, 2011). She is co-editor, together with Jean Conacher and Gisela Holfter, of German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture (Brill, 2018) and of Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR (Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2019). 
Deirdre is  a member of the University of Galway-University of Limerick research network Gender ARC, the Women and Ageing network (https://womenandageing.network/) and the Centre for Irish-German Studies (https://ulsites.ul.ie/irishgerman/).
 She was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing, School of Advanced Study, University of London in the Autumn of 2018. 
Dr. Deirdre Byrnes is Head of German and Senior Lecturer at University of Galway. She is a graduate of University College Cork, where she obtained a BA in German and French (First Class Honours), a Higher Diploma in Education, and an MPhil (First Class Honours). She was awarded her PhD from University College Dublin. Deirdre was the recipient of numerous awards, including a DAAD undergraduate scholarship which enabled her to study at the University of Heidelberg, and the Boyle Postgraduate Scholarship in German from University College Cork. She conducted much of the research for her MPhil at the University of Konstanz. As a doctoral student, she was the recipient of a DAAD postgraduate research scholarship and studied at the University of Potsdam and the Freie Universität Berlin. She was also awarded a postgraduate research scholarship from the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 
Deirdre is course director of Legal German at University of Galway and is responsible for the coordination, curriculum design and delivery of the Legal German module on the Civil Law, Law and Business, Law and Human Rights, and Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice programmes. She teaches the seminar "Law in Literature" to Second Year Arts students and the seminar "The Novella in German Literature" to Final Year Arts students. She also contributes to the Final Year Global Languages module "Memory, Memorialisation and the Representation of Conflict". Deirdre delivers the module "Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond" to students of the MA in International Contemporary Literatures and Media.
Deirdre's research interests include GDR literature, contemporary women writers in German-language literature, in particular Katja Petrowskaja, generational memory transmission, contested memories and forms of memorialisation in the Berlin Republic. She has published extensively on Monika Maron, including a monograph Rereading Monika Maron: Text, Counter-Text and Context (Peter Lang, 2011). She is co-editor, together with Jean Conacher and Gisela Holfter, of German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture (Brill, 2018) and of Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR (Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2019). 
Deirdre is  a member of the University of Galway-University of Limerick research network Gender ARC, the Women and Ageing network (https://womenandageing.network/) and the Centre for Irish-German Studies (https://ulsites.ul.ie/irishgerman/).
 She was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing, School of Advanced Study, University of London in the Autumn of 2018. 

Research Interests

Deirdre's research interests include  GDR literature, contemporary women writers in German-language literature, in particular Katja Petrowskaja, generational memory transmission, contested memories and forms of memorialisation in the Berlin Republic. 
She has published extensively on Monika Maron, including a monograph Rereading Monika Maron: Text, Counter-Text and Context (Peter Lang, 2011). She is co-editor, together with Jean Conacher and Gisela Holfter, of German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture (Brill, 2018) and of Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR (Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2019). 
Deirdre is a member of the University of Galway-University of Limerick research network Gender ARC, the Women and Ageing network (https://womenandageing.network/) and the Centre for Irish-German Studies (https://ulsites.ul.ie/irishgerman/). 
She was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing, School of Advanced Study, University of London in the Autumn of 2018. 

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
MF2004 MF08 04 DR. DEIRDRE BYRNES 01-JUN-05 28-FEB-06

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2017) 'Remembering at the margins: trauma, memory practices and the recovery of marginalised voices at the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen memorial'
Byrnes, D. (2017) 'Remembering at the margins: trauma, memory practices and the recovery of marginalised voices at the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen memorial'. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 25 :455-469 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2010) Rereading Monika Maron: Text, Counter-Text and Context.
Byrnes, D. (2010) Rereading Monika Maron: Text, Counter-Text and Context. Oxford, Bern: Peter Lang - International Academic Publishers. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2024) 'Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur-und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos. Einleitung'
Byrnes, D., Pusse, T-K., Schmidt-Hannisa, H-W., Schrage-Früh, M. (2024) 'Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur-und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos. Einleitung' In: Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur-und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos. :7-22 Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. [Details]
(2022) 'The Haunted Landscapes of Babi Yar: Memory, Language, and the Exploration of Holocaust Spaces in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther (2014)'
Byrnes, D. (2022) 'The Haunted Landscapes of Babi Yar: Memory, Language, and the Exploration of Holocaust Spaces in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther (2014)' In: Tracing German Visions of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century. :176-193 Rochester, New York: Camden House. [Details]
(2020) 'Ich hatte das Glück, mich in der Kluft der Sprachen ... zu bewegen: Formen und Funktionen der literarischen Mehrsprachigkeit in Katja Petrowskajas Vielleicht Esther'
Byrnes, D. (2020) 'Ich hatte das Glück, mich in der Kluft der Sprachen ... zu bewegen: Formen und Funktionen der literarischen Mehrsprachigkeit in Katja Petrowskajas Vielleicht Esther' In: Literarische (Mehr)Sprachreflexionen. :324-345 Wien: praesens. [Details]
(2019) 'Reading Seán O'Casey in the GDR'
Byrnes, D. (2019) 'Reading Seán O'Casey in the GDR' In: Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. :87-101 Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2019) 'Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. Introduction'
Holfer, G.; Byrnes, D.; Conacher, J.E. (2019) 'Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. Introduction' In: Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. :1-7 Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier. [Details]
(2018) 'The Enduring Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture: An Introduction'
Byrnes, D.; Conacher, J.E.; Holfter, G. (2018) 'The Enduring Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture: An Introduction' In: German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture. :1-15 Leiden: Brill. [Details]
(2013) 'Writing on the Threshold: Memory, Language and Identity in Kathrin Schmidt's Du stirbst nicht'
Byrnes, D. (2013) 'Writing on the Threshold: Memory, Language and Identity in Kathrin Schmidt's Du stirbst nicht' In: Emerging Women Writers in German-language Literature. :169-185 Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi. [Details]
(2013) 'The Triumph of the Transferable: Fostering Transferable Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom'
Byrnes, D. (2013) 'The Triumph of the Transferable: Fostering Transferable Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom' In: Traditions and Transitions: Curricula for German Studies. :333-347 Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. [Details]
(2008) 'Monika Marons Beiträge zur Wochenpost: Eine Analyse'
Byrnes, Deirdre (2008) 'Monika Marons Beiträge zur Wochenpost: Eine Analyse' In: Denkbilder: Festschrift für Eoin Bourke. :248-256 Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2008) Berlin's Culturescape in the Twentieth Century
Byrnes, D. (2008) Berlin in the Writing of Monika Maron . In: Thomas Bredohl and Michael Zimmermann (editors) eds. Berlin's Culturescape in the Twentieth Century , pp.229-243 [Details]
(2003) Sentimente, Empfindungen, Gefühle: Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Affektiven von 1770 bis heute
Byrnes, D. (2003) Der Körper als Symptom, die Gefühle als Metaphern: Monika Marons Roman Stille Zeile Sechs . In: Anne Fuchs and Sabine Strümper-Krobb eds. Sentimente, Empfindungen, Gefühle: Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Affektiven von 1770 bis heute , pp.221-226 [Details]
(2003) Cultural Memory: Essays on European Literature and Culture
Byrnes, D. (2003) Exposing the Gaps in Memory: Forgetting and Remembering in Monika Maron's Pawels Briefe Cultural Memory: Essays on European Literature and Culture , pp.147-159 [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2024) Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur- und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos.
Byrnes, D., Pusse, T-K., Schmidt-Hannisa, H-W., Schrage-Früh, Michaela (Ed.). (2024) Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur- und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos Der Deutsche Wald: Zur Literatur- und Kulturgeschichte eines Mythos. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann. [Details]
(2019) Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. Introduction.
Holfter, G.; Byrnes, D.; Conacher, J.E (Ed.). (2019) Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. Introduction Perceptions and Perspectives: Exploring Connections between Ireland and the GDR. Introduction. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier. [Details]
(2018) German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture.
Byrnes, D.; Conacher, J. E.; Holfter, G (Ed.). (2018) German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture German Reunification and the Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture. Amsterdam: Brill. [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2024) Women in German Studies Conference,
Byrnes, D. (2024) Transcending the boundaries of traditional assessment: Podcasting in the German-language classroom. [Conference Paper], Women in German Studies Conference, University College Cork , 04-JUL-24 - 06-JUL-24. [Details]
(2023) Association of German Studies (AGS) Annual Conference,
Byrnes, D. (2023) Podcasting. [Invited Paper], Association of German Studies (AGS) Annual Conference, Trinity College Dublin , 29-AUG-23 - 31-AUG-23. [Details]
(2023) School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures Research Day,
Byrnes, D. (2023) International Encounters: Sean O'Casey on the GDR Stage. [Conference Paper], School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures Research Day, University of Galway , 19-APR-23 - 19-APR-23. [Details]
(2022) Mein Sehnen geht in die Ferne - Reflecting on Exile and GDR Studies, In Memoriam Ian Wallace,
Byrnes, D. (2022) Seán O Casey on the GDR Stage. [Conference Paper], Mein Sehnen geht in die Ferne - Reflecting on Exile and GDR Studies, In Memoriam Ian Wallace, New College, Oxford , 09-SEP-22 - 11-SEP-22. [Details]
(2022) 1997-2002: Reflecting - Connecting - Transforming,
Byrnes, D. (2022) Seán O Casey in the GDR. [Conference Paper], 1997-2002: Reflecting - Connecting - Transforming, University of Limerick , 22-SEP-22 - 23-SEP-22. [Details]
(2021) The Reception of British and Irish Post-WW2 Literatures in the German Democratic Republic: Tendencies in Universities, Schools, Literary Scenes, Publishing, and Censoring,
Byrnes, D. (2021) Seán O Casey in the GDR Language Classroom. [Invited Paper], The Reception of British and Irish Post-WW2 Literatures in the German Democratic Republic: Tendencies in Universities, Schools, Literary Scenes, Publishing, and Censoring, Online , 01-OCT-21 - 01-OCT-21. [Details]
(2021) Haunted Landscapes of German Eastern Europe,
Byrnes, D. (2021) The Haunted Landscape of Babi Yar: Holocaust Spaces and the Challenges of Post-Memory. [Conference Paper], Haunted Landscapes of German Eastern Europe, Online , 04-AUG-21 - 06-AUG-21. [Details]
(2021) Teaching and Learning Initiatives in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI Galway,
Byrnes, D. (2021) Developing a Podcast Series. [Oral Presentation], Teaching and Learning Initiatives in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI Galway, Online , 06-JUL-21. [Details]
(2020) DAAD Jahrestreffen der Region Großbritannien und Irland für DAAD-LektorInnen, SprachassistentInnen und OrtslektorInnen,
Byrnes, D. (2020) “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness”: The media of testimony and the challenges of post-memory in Katja Petrowskaja’s Vielleicht Esther. [Invited Paper], DAAD Jahrestreffen der Region Großbritannien und Irland für DAAD-LektorInnen, SprachassistentInnen und OrtslektorInnen, Online , 18-DEC-20 - 18-DEC-20. [Details]
(2020) Business German in Ireland Working Group Annual Symposium,
Byrnes, D. (2020) Developing Presentation Skills in the Modern Languages Classroom. [Oral Presentation], Business German in Ireland Working Group Annual Symposium, Residence of the German Ambassador, Dublin , 06-MAR-20 - 06-MAR-20. [Details]
(2019) Women in German Studies Annual Conference,
Byrnes, D. (2019) Reading Seán O'Casey in the GDR. [Conference Paper], Women in German Studies Annual Conference, University College Dublin , 09-NOV-19 - 09-NOV-19. [Details]
(2019) Across Languages: Translingualism in Contemporary Women's Writing,
Byrnes, D. (2019) Wünschelrute Deutsch: Negotiating Identity Across and Beyond Languages in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther. [Oral Presentation], Across Languages: Translingualism in Contemporary Women's Writing, London , 30-MAY-19 - 31-MAY-19. [Details]
(2018) Women, Ageing and Life Narrative Symposium,
Byrnes, D. (2018) Ageing Bodies, Ruptured Biographies: Exploring the Inward Turn in Monika Maron's Post-Wende Writing. [Conference Paper], Women, Ageing and Life Narrative Symposium, NUI Galway , 10-MAY-18 - 11-MAY-18. [Details]
(2018) Violence, Space and the Political,
Byrnes, D. (2018) A Space of Resistance, a Space of Agency: Exploring Eyewitness Testimony at the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. [Conference Paper], Violence, Space and the Political, NUI Galway , 07-JUN-18 - 09-JUN-18. [Details]
(2017) German Studies Association Conference,
Byrnes, D. (2017) Ich hatte das Glück, mich in der Kluft der Sprachen ... zu bewegen: Memory, Language, and the Search for Identity in Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther. [Conference Paper], German Studies Association Conference, Atlanta, Georgia , 05-OCT-17 - 08-OCT-17. [Details]
(2016) Conflict, Humanitarianism and Security Symposium,
Byrnes, D. (2016) Remembering Political Persecution: Eyewitness Testimony at the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. [Conference Paper], Conflict, Humanitarianism and Security Symposium, NUI Galway , 04-MAY-16 - 04-MAY-16. [Details]
(2014) City Margins, City Memories,
Byrnes, D. (2014) Remembering at the Margins: The Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. [Conference Paper], City Margins, City Memories, Institute of Modern Languages Research, London , 07-APR-14 - 08-APR-14. [Details]
(2014) Memory in post-1945 Art and Literature,
Byrnes, D. (2014) Exposing the Gaps in Memory: Generational Forgetting, Photography and Postmemory in Monika Maron’s Pawels Briefe. [Invited Paper], Memory in post-1945 Art and Literature, University of Aberystwyth , 03-JUL-14 - 04-JUL-14. [Details]
(2014) 25 Jahre Mauerfall: Reflections on GDR literature, its legacy and connections between the GDR and Ireland,
Byrnes, D. (2014) „Erinnerungen haben ihre Zeit“: Memory and postmemory in autobiographical writing after 1989. [Conference Paper], 25 Jahre Mauerfall: Reflections on GDR literature, its legacy and connections between the GDR and Ireland, University of Limerick , 08-NOV-14 - 09-NOV-14. [Details]
(2014) 25 Jahre Mauerfall: Reflections on GDR literature, its legacy and the connections between the GDR and Ireland,
Byrnes, D. (2014) DAAD Alumni Conference. [Conference Organising Committee Member], 25 Jahre Mauerfall: Reflections on GDR literature, its legacy and the connections between the GDR and Ireland, University of Limerick , 07-NOV-14 - 08-NOV-14. [Details]
(2013) Thinking Differently: New Curricula, New Skills in Higher Education,
Byrnes, D. (2013) The Triumph of the Transferable: Fostering Transferable Skills in the Foreign Language Classroom. [Conference Paper], Thinking Differently: New Curricula, New Skills in Higher Education, NUI Galway , 07-JUN-13 - 07-JUN-13. [Details]
(2012) Family Ties: Recollection and Representation,
Byrnes, D. (2012) Presenting the Past: Photography, Memory Gaps and Postmemory in Monika Maron's Family Story Pawels Briefe. [Conference Paper], Family Ties: Recollection and Representation, Institute of Germanic and Romance Languages, University of London , 08-MAR-12 - 09-MAR-12. [Details]
(2012) About Time: Conceptualising and Recovering Temporality in German, Swiss and Austrian Culture,
Byrnes, D. (2012) Was ist früher? Recovering Lost Time in Kathrin Schmidt's novel Du stirbst nicht. [Conference Paper], About Time: Conceptualising and Recovering Temporality in German, Swiss and Austrian Culture, University College Dublin , 28-JUN-12 - 30-JUN-12. [Details]
(2011) GDR Literature: International Colloquium of the Centre for Irish-German Studies with a special focus on teaching GDR Literature,
Byrnes, D. (2011) Rereading Monika Maron. [Oral Presentation], GDR Literature: International Colloquium of the Centre for Irish-German Studies with a special focus on teaching GDR Literature, University of Limerick , 29-MAR-11 - 29-MAR-11. [Details]
(2011) Gender, Nation, Text: NUI Galway - UL Gender ARC Symposium, organised by the Gender, Discourses, Identities Thematic Group,
Byrnes, D. (2011) Confronting Vater Staat: Constructing and Deconstructing the Nation-State in Monika Maron's Novel Stille Zeile Sechs. [Conference Paper], Gender, Nation, Text: NUI Galway - UL Gender ARC Symposium, organised by the Gender, Discourses, Identities Thematic Group, NUI Galway , 10-MAY-11 - 10-MAY-01. [Details]
(2010) German Curricula: Transitions and Traditions,
Byrnes, D. (2010) The Triumph of the Transferable: Teaching Applied German in the Twenty-First Century,. [Invited Paper], German Curricula: Transitions and Traditions, University of Waterloo, Ontario , 26-AUG-10 - 28-AUG-10. [Details]
(2009) Doing Family: Precarious Parenthood and the Performativity of Family,
Byrnes, D. (2009) Confronting Vater Staat: Politics and Paternity in Monika Maron’s Stille Zeile Sechs,. [Conference Paper], Doing Family: Precarious Parenthood and the Performativity of Family, NUI Galway , 05-JUN-09 - 06-JUN-09. [Details]
(2006) Berlin's Culturescape in the Twentieth Century,
Byrnes, D. (2006) Berlin in the Writing of Monika Maron. [Conference Paper], Berlin's Culturescape in the Twentieth Century, University of Regina, Saskatchewna , 22-SEP-06 - 24-SEP-06. [Details]
(2005) Contemporary European Women Writers: Gender and Generation,
Byrnes, D. (2005) Mending a Fractured Family Biography: Mother-Daughter Relationships in Monika Maron’s Pawels Briefe,. [Conference Paper], Contemporary European Women Writers: Gender and Generation, University of Bath , 30-MAR-05 - 01-APR-05. [Details]
(2005) Borders and Margins: (Re)defining Space and Place in European Literary and Cultural Discourses,
Byrnes, D. (2005) Mit dem Kopf durch die Wand gehen: Physical and Imaginary Spaces in Monika Maron’s novel Die Überläuferin. [Conference Paper], Borders and Margins: (Re)defining Space and Place in European Literary and Cultural Discourses, NUI Galway , 15-JAN-05 - 15-JAN-05. [Details]
(2004) Women in German Studies Annual Conference,
Byrnes, D. (2004) Versteckte Botschaften: Biographers and Biographies in Monika Maron’s novel Endmoränen. [Conference Paper], Women in German Studies Annual Conference, Selwyn College, Cambridge , 11-AUG-04 - 11-SEP-04. [Details]
(2003) Hystorical Fictions: Women, History and Authorship,
Byrnes, D. (2003) Rewriting History: Monika Maron’s Stille Zeile Sechs. [Conference Paper], Hystorical Fictions: Women, History and Authorship, University of Wales, Swansea , 05-AUG-03 - 07-AUG-03. [Details]
(2001) Sentimente, Gefühle, Empfindungen: Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Affektiven von 1770 bis heute,
Byrnes, D. (2001) Der Körper als Symptom, die Gefühle als Metaphern: Monika Marons Roman Stille Zeile Sechs. [Conference Paper], Sentimente, Gefühle, Empfindungen: Zur Geschichte und Literatur des Affektiven von 1770 bis heute, Goethe Institute, Dublin , 01-JUL-01 - 03-JUL-01. [Details]
(2000) Cultural Memory,
Byrnes, D. (2000) Remembering and Forgetting in Monika Maron's Pawels Briefe. [Conference Paper], Cultural Memory, Newman House, Dublin , 10-NOV-00 - 11-NOV-00. [Details]

Book Review

  Year Publication
(2019) The GDR Today: New Interdisciplinary Approaches to East German History, Memory and Culture.
Byrnes, D. (2019) The GDR Today: New Interdisciplinary Approaches to East German History, Memory and Culture. Hartung-Gorre Verlag Book Review [Details]
(2019) Civil Society and Memory in Postwar Germany.
Byrnes, D (2019) Civil Society and Memory in Postwar Germany. LONDON: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD Book Review [Details]
(2018) Secret Police Files from the Eastern Bloc: Between Surveillance and Life Writing.
Byrnes, D. (2018) Secret Police Files from the Eastern Bloc: Between Surveillance and Life Writing. Book Review [Details]
(2012) Fathers and Sons, Review of Eugen Ruge's novel In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts for Dublin Review of Books.
Byrnes, D. (2012) Fathers and Sons, Review of Eugen Ruge's novel In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts for Dublin Review of Books. Book Review [Details]

Editorial

  Year Publication
(2018) The Enduring Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture: An Introduction.
Byrnes, D,Holfter, G,Byrnes, D,Conacher, JE,Holfter, G (2018) The Enduring Legacy of GDR Literature and Culture: An Introduction. Editorial [DOI] [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2023 Research Development Scheme College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
2020 Research Consolidation Grant NUI Galway Promotions Project
2020 Research Support Scheme College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, NUI Galway
2018 Research Support Scheme College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, NUI Galway
2017 Grant from Grant-in-Aid of Publications Fund Grant-in-Aid of Publications Fund, NUI Galway
2016 Research Incentivisation Scheme College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, NUI Galway
2014 Research Incentivisation Scheme College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, NUI Galway
2010 Conference Travel Assistance, Millennium Fund, NUI Galway Millennium Fund, NUI Galway
2010 Goethe-Institut Training Scholarship Goethe-Institut
2007 Grant from Grant-in-Aid of Publications Fund Grant-in-Aid of Publications Fund, NUI Galway
2005 Goethe-Institut Training Scholarship Goethe-Institut
2004 Millennium Research Fund, NUI Galway Millennium Research Fund, NUI Galway
2000 Postgraduate Research Scholarship Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
1998 DAAD Postgraduate Research Scholarship Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)
1998 Open Postgraduate Scholarship University College Dublin
1995 Boyle Postgraduate Scholarship in German University College Cork
1992 DAAD Scholarship Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service)
1992 Undergraduate College Scholarship University College Cork
1991 Edward and Matilda Ryan Scholarship University College Cork
1991 Undergraduate College Scholarship University College Cork

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
German Studies Association of Ireland Ordinary Member /
GSA (German Studies Association) Ordinary Member /
Business German in Ireland Working Group Ordinary Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
German Studies Association of Ireland Secretary 01-NOV-11 / 14-NOV-15
Research Committee, School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures Ordinary Member 01-SEP-10 / 31-DEC-12

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
National University of Ireland, Galway Lecturer (above the bar) 01-SEP-01 /

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2004 University College Dublin PhD German Literature
1997 University College Cork Masters MLitt in German Literature
1995 University College Cork HDipEd Education
1994 University College Cork Bachelor of Arts German and French
2016 NUI Galway Diploma in Italian Italian
2006 NUI Galway Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge Dioploma sa Ghaeilge

Languages

  Language
German
French
Irish
Italian

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach NUI Galway Information Evening, Thurles 28-NOV-13 / 28-NOV-13
Outreach Taster Day, NUI Galway 21-NOV-09 / 21-NOV-09
Outreach NUI Galway Information Evening, Thurles 14-APR-11 / 14-APR-11
Outreach Higher Options Fair, RDS 21-SEP-12 / 21-SEP-12
Outreach Presentation to second-level teachers of German at a Teacher Training Day, NUI Galway 20-MAR-10 / 20-MAR-10
Outreach Taster day, NUI Galway 27-NOV-10 / 27-NOV-10
Outreach Brush up your German, NUI Galway 21-MAR-06 / 28-MAR-06

Outreach Activities

  Description

NUI Galway Information Evenings in Thurles, April 2011 and November 2013

Other Activities

  Description

I was Vice-Dean for the First Arts Experience in the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies from 2007 to 2010. This role involved providing support and advice for First Arts students, liaising with First Year coordinators and with Student Services to assist students in difficulty, and informing new and prospective entrants about First Arts at NUI Galway. Responsibilities also included meeting with students who wished to defer examinations as well as preparing for and attending First Arts examination boards. I gave presentations on the First Arts Experience at Orientation Day each September and presented to mature students, Access students and student mentors. I also provided verbal reports at meetings of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies. During my term as Vice-Dean, I was a member of the College Executive of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies.

Teaching Interests

Deirdre is course director of Legal German at University of Galway and is responsible for the coordination, curriculum design and delivery of the Legal German module on the Civil Law, Law and Business, Law and Taxation, Law and Human Rights, and Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice programmes. She teaches the seminar "The Novella in German Writing" to Final Year BA students and the seminar "Law in Literature" to Second Year students. Deirdre contributes to the module "Memory, Memorialisation and the Representation of Conflict" on the Final Year Global Languages programme. She also delivers the module "Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond" to students of the MA in International Contemporary Literatures and Media. 

Recent Postgraduate Students

  Graduation Name Degree Primary Supervisor
2013 Caoimhe Fitzpatrick MA International Contemporary Literatures & Media Y
2013 Susan Carolan MA International Contemporary Literatures & Media Y
2012 Alan Coss MA German Y
2011 Jeannine Jud MA German Y
2011 Sheila Kelly MA International Contemporary Literatures & Media Y
2015 Stephen Gilmore MA Advanced Languages Skills
2018 Kate Comer MA Advanced Languages Skills Y
2018 Jeannine Jud PhD Y
2022 Lidia Icardi MA International Contemporary Literatures & Media Y
2022 Marcus Nolan MA Advanced Languages Skills Y

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester 2 Resisting through Culture: Conflicts in Europe and Beyond MIC6100 This module focuses on the literature that emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century following the post-war division of Europe. Works by Peter Schneider, Ivan Klima, Vaclav Havel and Herta Mueller form the focus of analysis. The module explores how literature and culture can be harnessed to facilitate and express resistance within and against totalitarian systems.
Semester 2, 2022-2023 Memory, Memorialisation, and the Representation of Conflict GR4102 Deirdre contributes a unit on memory and memorialisation to this module. The unit focuses on three sites of memory work and memorialisation in Berlin: the Jewish Museum, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and the Berlin-Hohenschoenhausen memorial site.
Semester 1, 2022-2023 The Novella in German Literature GR340 This seminar focuses on two famous German novellas: Heinrich von Kleist’s Das Erdbeben in Chili, published in 1807, and Gerhart Hauptmann’s Bahnwärter Thiel, published in 1888. In so doing, this course seeks to demonstrate the very significant contribution of the novella to the German literary landscape of the nineteenth century.
Semester 1 and Semester 2 First Year Legal German GR106 The first year Legal German course is designed to consolidate and develop existing language skills. Topics include young people in Germany and multiculturalism. Students are introduced to aspects of the German legal system, including legal education, the organs of state, the Constitution and Contract Law.
Semester 1 and Semester 2 Second Year Legal German GR208 The acqusition of a specialised commercial vocabulary is an important aspect of GR208. Topics include trade fairs, the stucture of companies, company profiles and product descriptions. Students are introduced to the German Civil Code; they also learn about the development of the EU and the EU institutions. Preparing students for the Erasmus year is of particular importance in the second semester.
Semester 1 and Semester 2 Third Year Legal German GR317 In the final year particular emphasis is placed on the ability to express ideas convincingly. Regular assignments and a presentation facilitate the development and articulation of opinions on contemporary legal, social and political issues. Topics include the German Constitution, the federal state, intellectual property, immigration and citizenship laws.
Semester 1 Law in Literature GR238 This seminar develops close reading skills as we consider the portrayal of the Law and of the legal system in selected works of literature. In the first part of the course, we will explore a number of short, yet highly significant prose texts by Frank Kafka. The second part of the course focuses on Ferdinand von Schirach’s courtroom drama Terror, which was published in 2015 and became a global theatre phenomenon.

Downloads