R.J. Hunter scheme developments

The Royal Irish Academy is delighted that Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick has recently begun his term as the R.J. Hunter Digital Fellow. This main purpose of this one-year post-doctoral Fellowship is to develop a prosopographical database of English and Scottish settlers in the Ulster Plantation (1609-1700). 

Dr. Fitzpatrick’s doctoral research focused on the Ryans of Inch, a Catholic landowning family from Tipperary (c.1600-1832) and he has a wealth of experience in the digitisation of such sources including his recent work as a research assistant and content manager for Clericus, a digital humanities research project that aims to build a prosopographical database on the Irish Catholic clergy for the period c.1535 to 1945.

The Royal Irish Academy has also made two grants under the R.J. Hunter Research Bursary scheme, which provides funding for the direct costs of research on aspects of Ulster History during the period 1500-1800.

Leanne Calvert and Catherine Porter will undertake their projects which are entitled ‘Sexuality and Social Control: Presbyterians in Ireland and North America, 1717-1830’ and ‘From the plat to the field: a new view on the escheated maps of Ulster’ respectively this year.

Both elements of the R.J. Hunter scheme are kindly funded by the daughter of the late R.J. Hunter.