Donall P. O Baoill is a graduate of NUI Galway (BA 1968, Higher Diploma in Education 1969) and of the University of Michigan (MA 1971; PhD 1973). He joined the staff of Irish & Celtic Studies at Queen's University Belfast as Professor of Irish in 1999. His main research interests lie in the areas of applied and theoretical linguistics, the phonology, morphology and syntax of Modern Irish, language planning and standardisation, language contact, Irish-English, Irish Sign Language, Travellers' Cant, linguistic typology, local history and Irish Folklore. He is co-editor of Intercultural Communication and Language Learning (1999).