Aodán Mac Póilin

Aodán Mac Póilin is an Irish language activist in Northern Ireland.

He was born in Belfast and lives in the Shaws Road Irish-speaking community. He graduated from the New University of Ulster with a degree and M.Phil. in Irish Studies. He is an ex-teacher and has been Director of ULTACH Trust since 1990.

He has been active in the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages and the Community Relations Council, and was chairman of the first Irish-medium school in Northern Ireland.

He is currently on the boards of Cultures of Ireland, the Columba Initiative, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (the Council for Irish-medium Education), the Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge (the cross-border Irish language implementation body), and the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast.

He has written and lectured extensively on various aspects of the Irish language, literature and culture.

Books

• Styles of Belonging: the cultural identities of Ulster (1992) (editor)
• Ruined Pages, New Selected Poems of Padraic Fiacc (1994) (co-editor with Gerald Dawe)
• The Irish Language in Northern Ireland (1997)
• The Great Book of Gaelic (2002) (member of the editorial panel)