Today marked the first time the dissertation writing group considered a member's work. Fortunately for me, I was the one getting feedback. I must say that it was quite nice to have a number of well-read, intelligent people providing feedback and asking questions about my work. It really helped me to see where I needed to go and what areas I need to improve. I was also pleased that pretty much everyone thought that the chapter I submitted was pretty strong as it presently stands. Granted there is still a ton of work to do on it, but it's just a nice thing to hear.
As it stands today, I have drafts of two chapters done and have received excellent, thorough feedback on one of those chapters. I'm hoping to have a draft of a third chapter done by the end of the month or early January. With the holiday break (I'll be in Maryland for almost a week) it may be difficult to reach my "chapter per month" goal. I've decided that chapters 1-3 will cover various aspects of the interwar period (1919-1939), chapter 4 will probably cover 1939-1987, and chapter 5 will cover 1987 to the present. One of the challenges will be to maintain the analysis of Cork and Derry along with the that of Dublin and Belfast. To do so will probably require some time back in those cities to get some more source material, but hopefully I can get the bulk of it done with what I have at the present. At present, chapters 4 and 5 are going to be the most difficult to draft and get to the same stage that my current work is at. Nevertheless, it's an interesting challenge and one I'm looking forward to completing.
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