Who We Are
We are the Discourse Research Association of Ireland (DRAOI). Founded in 2021, we aim to provide a centralised, discursive space for scholars of discourse(s) in Ireland, those who study discourse(s) of Ireland or have some connection to the island.
Following on from the success of our inaugural 2021 Summer Seminar Series, we hope to continue to act as a platform for scholars at all stages of their career to share their research, consolidate ideas and foster new, working relationships across institutional boundaries.
Our members include scholars from universities across the island of Ireland as well as overseas. We are based in diverse schools and departments, and equally welcome postgraduate researchers, independent scholars, established research professors, and everyone in between.
We welcome all enquiries at discourseresearchireland@gmail.com, including informal enquiries about plans for future events and projects at DRAOI. We also encourage you to sign up for our mailing list and follow us on Twitter to hear about the latest DRAOI news.
What We Do
DRAOI is a “big-tent” network.
We actively encourage new and/or less represented frameworks or methodologies for doing discourse research. We welcome all those who consider themselves to be discourse researchers, whether they engage in/with:
- discourse analysis
- critical discourse analysis/studies (CDA/CDS)
- discourse theory
- multimodal discourse
- visual discourse
- Foucauldian and/or Essex approaches to discourse
- social semiotics
- linguistic approaches
- textual analysis
- or any other discourse-related field not mentioned here
In 2021 we hosted our first Summer Seminar Series, highlighting the scholarship of a diverse range of discourse researchers in fields including economic discourse, CDA, media studies, and more.
We intend to continue hosting productive and engaging seminar series. However, we are also planning for other exciting events, including:
A ‘Discourse Methods’ workshop to showcase the many methodologies our members use to study discourse (aimed at postgrads and anyone interested in learning new methods)
A themed journal issue on the topic of Irish discourses
A traditional conference, inviting presentations from all discourse sectors under the umbrella of DRAOI
A DRAOI listserv, where members can share calls for papers/presentations, job opportunities, upcoming talks, book/publication announcements, and other news of interest to Irish discourse researchers
A discourse blog, in which we share informal, short-form contributions from our community for open-access publication on our website
Other networking opportunities, both through this website and beyond, to get to know each other and support our efforts to raise the profile of discourse research across Ireland
Why ‘DRAOI’ ?
- Ulster: /driː/
- Connacht: /dɾiː/
- Munster: /dɹiː/
As well as being an acronym for the Discourse Research Association of Ireland, draoi is an Irish word meaning “druid” or “wizard/magician.” Etymologically, the word draoi comes from Old Irish; throughout the centuries it has commonly been used to refer a person who is, simply, “a great knower of things.”
As discourse researchers, we do not pretend to know all things – indeed, perhaps the one thing we agree on is that our individual efforts can never be sufficient! Yet, we share a common goal to advance knowledge about society, culture, and ideology through careful analysis of that (if we may be so bold) magical human phenomenon – discourse.
Co-Founders
Dr Stephen Goulding 
Stephen is an Assistant Professor of International Communication at the University of Nottingham, Ningbo China. He previously worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Communication, Media and Cultural Studies at Ulster University, where he completed his PhD and was also a Teaching Assistant in the School of Communication and Media. His dissertation research analysed contemporary discourses of Irish republicanism across various social media sites. His most recent publications analyse the construction of marginalised political identities in Northern Ireland through alternative media such as political murals, press statements and riots. Originally a Corkonian, he now resides in Ningbo China.
Kelsey Campolong (she/her)
Kelsey is a PhD researcher at Ulster University in the School of Communication and Media and the Research Unit of Modern Languages and Linguistics. Her research interests include CDA methodologies, political discourses, and the discursive construction of various ideologies and identities. She has recently published work on Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist discourse and on Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories. Her PhD research explores the construction of truth in Donald Trump’s discourse from a critical discourse analytic perspective. Tá sí ina cónaí i mBaile Átha Cliath lena páirtí agus dhá chat, Darach agus Saileach.