Aodán Mac Póilin is an Irish language

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 activist in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

He was born in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 and lives in the Shaw's Road

Shaw's Road

, also known as both and The Irish Houses is a small Gaeltacht in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.-History:The Gaeltacht was founded in 1969 when five families from Belfast built their houses together in a new development on the street...

 Irish-speaking community. He graduated from the New University of Ulster

University of Ulster

The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...

 with a degree and M.Phil. in Irish studies. He is an ex-teacher and has been Director of ULTACH Trust

ULTACH Trust

The ULTACH Trust is a charitable trust established in 1989 aimed at promoting the Irish language in Northern Ireland. Its current director is Aodán Mac Póilin.-Name:...

 since 1990.

He has been active in the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages and the Community Relations Council, and was chairman of the first Irish-medium school in Northern Ireland.

He is currently on the boards of Cultures of Ireland, the Columba Initiative

Columba Initiative

The Columba Project or Iomairt Cholm Cille, formerly known as the Columba Initiative is a program for Gaelic speakers in Scotland and Ireland to meet each other more often, and in so doing to learn more of the language, heritage and lifestyles of one another...

, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (the Council for Irish-medium Education), the Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge

Foras na Gaeilge is the governing body of the Irish language, responsible for the promotion of the language throughout the island of Ireland. Its name can be translated into English as "The Irish Language Body", although the body has no official English-language name...

 (the cross-border Irish language implementation body), and the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast.

He has written and lectured extensively on various aspects of the Irish language, literature and culture.

Books

• Styles of Belonging: the cultural identities of Ulster (1992) (editor)
• Ruined Pages, New Selected Poems of Padraic Fiacc (1994) (co-editor with Gerald Dawe
  Gerald Dawe
  Gerald Dawe is a Northern Irish writer and poet.-Early life:Gerald Dawe was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and grew up with his mother, sister and grandmother. He attended Orangefield Boys School across the city in East Belfast, a leading progressive liberal state school...
  
  )
• The Irish Language in Northern Ireland (1997)
• The Great Book of Gaelic (2002) (member of the editorial panel)