People

Joseph Falaky Nagy, the Henry L. Shattuck Professor of Irish Studies and Chair of the Department of Celtic Languages & Literatures (until 6/30/2026) began teaching at Harvard in 2016. He received his B.A. in Folklore and Mythology in 1974, and his Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures in 1978, both from Harvard. Before coming to his current institution, Nagy was a Professor in the Department of English, the Indo-European Studies Program, and the Folklore and Mythology Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. The author of books and articles on medieval Irish literature and comparative mythology, Nagy was the founder and first editor of The Celtic Studies of North America Yearbook. 

Office: 206 Warren House. phone: 617- 495-1207 jfnagy@fas.harvard.edu

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Paul Russell, the Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures, in Residence was educated at the University of Oxford and holds degrees in Classics, Comparative Philology and Linguistics, and a DPhil in Celtic. He was previously Professor of Celtic in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge. His research interests include the linguistics and philology of the Celtic languages; and medieval Welsh and Irish literature, with a particular focus on their manuscript contexts.  Another aspect of his research concerns Latin texts from the Celtic-speaking world, such as the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and Gerald of Wales, and texts translated from Latin into the vernacular Celtic languages; and out of this has developed a line of research in fields where the texts move between Latin and Celtic languages, such as medieval Welsh law and hagiography. He teaches courses in Medieval Welsh language and literature, the Celtic origins of King Arthur, and the manuscript cultures of the Celtic-speaking world.

Office: Warren House 204.  prussell@fas.harvard.edu

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Natasha Sumner, Associate Professor,  joined the faculty of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard in 2015. Her research focuses on the Gaelic narrative corpus about the hero Fionn Mac Cumhaill, with particular regard for Fenian folklore. She is interested in the historical development of the corpus, as well as the conditions for transmission and narration of the folklore. She has also worked on intertextuality in eighteenth-century Scottish Gaelic literature. She teaches courses in Irish and Scottish Gaelic language, post-medieval literature, and folklore. Natasha Sumner holds a PhD in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard. 

Office: 208 Warren House, Phone: 617-495-1208 nsumner@fas.harvard.edu

http://scholar.harvard.edu/natashasumner

Catherine McKenna, the Margaret Brooks Robinson Research Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures, has taught at Harvard since 2005. Her research focuses on the narrative prose and bardic poetry of medieval Wales, particularly the literature of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and on medieval saints’ cults and hagiography, particularly that of Saint Brigit. She teaches courses in Medieval Welsh, the narrative traditions of medieval Wales, and the literature of medieval Celtic Christianity. She has also taught at New York University and the City University of New York. Catherine McKenna holds a PhD in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard.

Office: Widener 216.  cmckenna@fas.harvard.edu

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Tomás Ó Cathasaigh, the Henry L. Shattuck Professor of Irish Studies, Emeritus has taught at Harvard since 1995. His research is devoted to early Irish narrative literature, including its politico-religious ideology, its relationship to mythology, and its thematic content and structure. He is interested in the ways in which language is used in the literary texts and has been applying rhetorical criticism to them. He has also worked on the political and dynastic elements in the early Irish origin legends. He teaches courses in Old and Middle Irish language and literature, early Irish historical tales, and Irish heroic saga. Tomás Ó Cathasaigh holds a graduate degree from the National University of Ireland. He taught at University College Dublin before moving to Harvard. cathas@fas.harvard.edu

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