Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the many people and institutions who have made this book possible. My academic interest in the Arctic was first encouraged by Michael Bravo at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, and developed under the supervision of Daniel Carey (Department of English) and Nessa Cronin (Centre for Irish Studies) at National University of Ireland, Galway. Much of the work for the book was carried out as a PhD student, and I was extremely fortunate to benefit from their enthusiasm, intellectual rigour, and unfailing kindness. Further advice from Elizabeth Tilley and Geoff Quilley was crucial in revising the work for publication.
The research would not have happened without the Irish Research Council’s Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship, which funded the first three years, and the Hardiman Scholarship Fund at NUI Galway, which funded the final year of the doctorate. The Ireland Canada University Foundation awarded a Dobbin Scholarship funded by Steve Hudson, which enabled me to conduct crucial research at Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa. Bursaries from NUI Galway supported additional research, and a Gladstone Library Foundation scholarship gave me the opportunity to work at their beautiful residential library in Wales. More recently, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (grant agreement no. 839477) at Umeå University, Sweden, funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020, has facilitated revision and completion of the book. Additionally, this funding has covered the costs of photography, image permissions, gold open access, and professional indexing. Strategic resource funding from the Arctic Research Centre (Arcum) at Umeå University has also been put towards these costs.
Portions of the first and third chapters were published in an earlier form as ‘Exceedingly Good Friends: The Representation of Indigenous People during the Franklin Search Expeditions to the Arctic, 1847–59’ in Victorian Studies 61, no. 2 (2019); I appreciate the interest of Sarah Winter in connection with this. At Cambridge University Press, Bethany Thomas has been enthusiastic about this book right from the start and has been a pleasure to work with, as have George Paul Laver and the entire production and marketing team. I would also like to thank the series editors, Kate Flint and Clare Pettitt, the two anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the book, and Madelon Nanninga-Franssen, who has created the index.
Throughout my research, I was aided by the staff of the James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway (particularly Rosie Dunne), the National Library of Ireland in Dublin, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, and the Royal Geographical Society and British Library in London. Staff at the National Library of Australia, the Rubenstein Library in North Carolina, and the Norfolk Record Office helpfully answered queries and sent photographs. The exceptionally friendly and obliging staff at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa made long days in the archives so much easier. Tim James, Julie Choudhury, and Alan Spencer provided homely accommodation during archival research in London and Ottawa.
I am appreciative of the support of many people who helped along the way, including staff at the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities and Social Studies, the Centre for Irish Studies, and the English Department at National University of Ireland, Galway. I am so grateful to Rachel Hilliard for her thoughtful and insightful advice, for bringing Peta Freestone’s ‘Thesis Boot Camp’ to Galway, and for her writing-group meetings, which are a continuing source of motivation. The spontaneous online chats with Méabh Ní Fhuartháin and Ursula Connolly as part of this group during the final stages of the book’s completion were particularly welcome. Additionally, I would like to thank my mentor and dear friend Anne Karhio for her practical advice and many laughs along the way.
There are so many people to thank in Umeå, Sweden, where this book was finalised variously at the kitchen table, my daughter’s homework desk, and an old sewing-machine table during the exceptionally snowy pandemic winter of 2020/1. I had the pleasure of being welcomed to Umeå University by Satish Strömberg, Ingela Westerlund, and Stefan Gelfgren, and I am grateful for the support of Maria Lindgren Leavenworth, Heidi Hansson, Peter Sköld, Anna-Stina Falkmer, and Daniel Andersson. I also need to thank Evelina Liliequist, Coppélie Cocq, Gavin Feller, Maria Stridsman, Bram Vaassen, and Gunilla Isaksson, as well as those who came to my social academic writing group in Umeå, both in person and then online, and helped to create a productive and friendly environment.
I have been extremely lucky to find myself part of the network for Ingeborg Høvik’s Arctic Voices project based at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and funded by the Research Council of Norway. In particular, the encouragement, openness, and humour of Ingeborg, Sophie Gilmartin, and Sigfrid Kjeldaas have been a great source of academic motivation. I have met many inspiring, helpful, and friendly people at conferences and other academic events over the years, and I would especially like to thank Anna McLauchlan, Carl Thompson, Jean de Pomereu, Efram Sera-Shriar, Nanna Katrine Lüders Kaalund, Alessandro Antonello, Susanne Lalonde, Ingrid Urberg, Janicke Kaasa, Sarah Pickman, and Claire Warrior. In Ottawa, Chris Burn, Janice Cavell, and the Geography Department at Carleton University were very warm and welcoming, while in Kingston, Erika Behrisch Elce generously provided lunch and stimulating conversation. I made numerous friends as a PhD student at NUI Galway who each contributed in their own way, but Kathleen Pacious, Lucy Elvis, John Carrigy, Ciaran McDonough, Sarah Corrigan, Verena Commins, Isabel Corfe, and Mikyung Park deserve special mention.
I was fortunate to be amongst good friends at the Hólar archaeological project in Iceland when I received the news of the Irish Research Council award that would fund the doctoral research from which this book evolved. Many people listened as I worked through my decision to return to university, especially Ragnheiður Traustadóttir, Tara Carter, Jennica Einebrant Svensson, and Lísabet Guðmundsdóttir. Thanks are due to all my friends in Ireland and beyond for encouragement along the way (and care packages!), but especially Tanya Curry, Ruth Rowan, Aisling Barry, Mary O’Brien, Annie Atkins, and Board Game Club in Galway. In Umeå, I am grateful to all the lovely parents and kids (especially Eleonor and Jed Biolcati-Brennan, Maria Östensson, Javier Capella, and their families) who came to our outdoor meetings of Book Badgers and kept us sane during this pandemic winter with campfire chat and high-speed sledging. Our neighbours (and landlords) Karina DiLucia and Kent Sandström have been incredibly kind and generous to us and helped us in so many ways throughout our stay.
I would like to thank my siblings Aideen, Conor, and especially Niall, for valuable practical advice. During my PhD years, the care provided to my daughter by Susanna Groth, Caroline Forde, Rita Leonard, Ian MacLochlainn, and the O’Dochartaigh Barrs meant that I never had to worry. My parents Eoin and Niamh have been a constant and caring presence in my life. Finally, thank you to Svarten the pony for Christmas 2020, our two guinea pigs Mimi and Penguin for soothing munching noises, my husband Geoff for time, understanding, and unwavering support, and my hilarious daughter Sóley for running commentary, skiing lessons, and moving to northern Sweden.
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