Sarah E. McKibben

Sarah E. McKibben is an Associate Professor of Irish Language and Literature in the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, where she has served on the faculty since 2002. Her research examines Irish literary responses to political transformation during the Tudor-Stuart expansion.

Education

• M.Phil. in Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, Dublin
• Ph.D., Cornell University (2003)

Research Focus: Professor McKibben specializes in 16th-17th century Irish bardic poetry, analyzing how poets navigated colonial pressures through artistic expressions of praise, satire, and cultural defense. Her work bridges literary analysis with colonial/postcolonial theory, gender studies, and minority language politics across early modern to contemporary periods.

Scientific Awards

• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship (2019)
• American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship (2018)
• Adele Dalsimer Dissertation Prize, American Conference for Irish Studies (2004)
• Honorable Mention, Rhodes Prize for Endangered Masculinities in Irish Poetry, 1540-1780 (2010)

Advising and Grants: Actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students in Irish literary studies. Secured major research funding including NEH and ACLS fellowships supporting her monograph Tradition Transformed: Bardic Poetry and Colonialism in Early Modern Ireland, c.1560-1660. Delivered prestigious invited lectures including the Ó Buachalla Memorial Lecture (2020) and D'Arcy McGee Lecture.