Twitter link | @mcgoffmccann.bsky.social |
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Bio | I am a professional historian and published author who specialises in nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish social and political history, with particular expertise in death investigation, murder, administrative history, and the Great Famine. My research interests extend to gender studies, the Irish Civil War, art history, innovation, and Irish estate life and management, and I am a regular conference speaker across these diverse topics. Beyond my historical work, I serve as a chief marketing officer with 30 years of experience in knowledge management and publishing. I regularly share my expertise through lectures on marketing, public speaking, confidence building, and career guidance, demonstrating versatility as both a historian and business professional. Full academic and speaking profile can be found at IAPH and my business profile at: My Linkedin Profile
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Areas of expertise | The administrative, social and political history of the coroner in nineteenth century Ireland; investigation of death and murder; disease, criminology and local administrative politics; County Monaghan social and political history; the Bath Estate in County Monaghan; Artist, inventor, and writer, John Bedell Stanford MacIlwaine (1858-1945). |
Keywords | {nineteenth century}; {coroner}; {administrative history}; {presbyterian history}; {death investigation}; {murder}; {juries}; {social history}; {Famine}; {County Monaghan}; {Bath Estate}; {Farney}; J.B.S. MacIlwaine; John Bedell Stanford MacIlwaine {artist} {inventor} |
Nickname | Michelle McGoff-McCann, PhD. |
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Education | Queenâs University Belfast, PhD in History (2019) St. Maryâs University, Twickenham MA in Irish Studies (2014) Binghamton University, New York, BA in English and Rhetoric (1994) State University of New York Broome, A.B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing (1992) |
Employment | |
Consultancy work | ‘Barbarous’ Murders: Gender, Violence & Mortality (1846-52) The Importance of the Coroner During the Great Irish Famine Death Investigation during the Great Irish Famine: The coroner and the inquest The Irish Coroner: Death, Murder and Politics in Co. Monaghan, 1846-78 |
Management & Administrative experience | I have been a senior global marketing leader in financial services for over 20 years based in NYC, San Francisco, Dublin and London. |
Teaching | I bring a unique combination of academic expertise and 25 years of professional experience in publishing and marketing leadership roles. My career has equipped me with exceptional skills in creating and delivering educational content across diverse contexts. Having developed content for over 20 years as part of my career in publishing and marketing, I have extensive experience in content strategy, development, and delivery. I have developed and facilitated training programs in creative writing, technical writing, confidence building, professional services, and marketing throughout my professional career at organizations like RELX, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), and Thomson Reuters. As a guest lecturer at the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, I delivered “Death Investigation during the Great Irish Famine,” which was recorded for wider dissemination. My approach to teaching combines academic rigor with real-world application, emphasizing critical thinking and engagement with primary sources while incorporating innovative pedagogical techniques developed through years of leading high-performing professional teams. This multifaceted background allows me to connect historical concepts with contemporary relevance, enriching the student learning experience. |
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Awards | Arts and Heritage Funding |
Other activities | Pat Kenny: NewsTalk (September 2023) Talking History with Patrick Geoghegan: July Books Special (July 2023) SSNCI: New Perspectives on Conflict and Ireland in the Nineteenth Century (June 2022) PRONI: Prisons, Asylums, Workhouses: Institutions in Ireland Conference (June 2019) St. Mary’s Irish History Conference (November 2014) |
Books | The Irish Coroner (1846-78): Death, Murder and Politics in Co. Monaghan (1846-78)  [Four Courts Press, July 2023] A Coroner’s Casebooks (1846-77): The Inquests of William Charles Waddell (Vols. 1-3) [Irish Manuscripts Commission, release date pending] Melancholy Madness: A Coroner’s Casebook (Mercier Press, December 2003) |
Book Chapters | Property, privilege and politics: A history of the coroner in pre-Famine Ireland (1801 to 1846), Figures of Authority in Nineteenth Century Ireland, Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Irish History series (Liverpool University Press, 2020). This chapter examines the function, status and qualifications required for men serving in the role of coroner in Ireland in the first half of the nineteenth century. It considers the legislation imposed by the administration and this contested form of authority. Conflicts of Interest: The utility of the coroner during the Great Famine (1845-52) New Perspectives on Conflict and Ireland in the Nineteenth Century, Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Irish History series (Liverpool University Press, 2024 [pending]). This chapter examines the importance of the role of the coroner and the official investigation of death during the Great Famine. Inquest verdicts revealed institutional corruption, government mismanagement and neglect of marginalised groups, and put the coroner at odds with the establishment of which he was a member. The work of coroners placed them at the centre of social and political disputes and the inquest was a site of tension during the famine. |
Electronic Publications | Article: “Death from Want”: What a coroner’s casebook tells us about Famine deaths Article: Coroners exposed corruption, social and moral failures in nineteenth century Ireland |
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Historical images on the website from the National Library of Ireland on The Commons | Flickr