My ancestors - O'Rahilly - Contents

T.F. O'Rahilly

• References:
  • Obituary of T.F. O'Rahilly, Irish Times, 17th Nov 1953, p.3 and p.1.
  • "How Myles na gCopaleen belled Schrodinger's cat", Paddy Leahy, Irish Times, 22 Feb 2001. [Note this confuses T.F. with his brother Alfred.]

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • T.F. O'Rahilly Manuscript Collection (and here), MS11, Special Collections, Main Library, Queen's University Belfast. Don't think has any family papers.
  • Obituary of T.F. O'Rahilly, Cork University Record, no.29, Summer 1954.
  • Obituary of T.F. O'Rahilly, Eleanor Knott, Ériu, Vol. XVII, 1955, [RIA] C/21/1-2/Knott offprints/17.
  • Alannah Hopkin, Living Legend of St. Patrick, 1989.

T.F. O'Rahilly (see here and here and search),
Prof. Thomas Francis O'Rahilly, the celebrated Celtic scholar, professor and author,
born 11th Nov 1882, Listowel, Co.Kerry,
educ St.Michael's College, Listowel,
educ Blackrock College in 1890s, there with Eamon de Valera and the writer Pádraic Ó Conaire, T.F. was one of the first to take "Celtic" as an exam subject [Farragher, 1984],
de Valera remembered seeing T.F. reading from An Claidheamh Soluis to the class, "to be reading Gaelic from a newspaper - that was something extraordinary indeed in those days" [Farragher, 1984],
in Public Examinations 1899 he got 1st place in Ireland in Celtic and French, and full marks in Algebra,
he was one of the first students at the School of Irish Learning 1903,
educ Royal University, BA in Irish 1905,
worked as civil service clerk, Four Courts, Dublin, worked in civil service think 1905-19,
worked in civil service with the Irish scholar (and leader of the Irish Volunteers) Eoin MacNeill,
corresponded c.1904-15 with his 1st cousin The O'Rahilly on the family's history, a letter says "Dear Michael, thanks for family tree, T.F.", (todo) can this tree be found in T.F.'s papers?,
continued Irish studies under Osborn Bergin at the School of Irish Learning (must be 1906-08 period),
in 1908 and 1909 he studied medieval and modern Welsh under John Glyn Davies of the Celtic Department, Liverpool University,
he received MA,
in 1911 census he has reverted to the old surname "O'Rahilly", though rest of his family still uses "Rahilly", it might have been T.F. who started the trend,
in 1911 census he is listed as "civil servant", "Junior Clerk, High Court of Justice",
in 1911-12 he founded and edited Gadelica: a journal of modern-Irish studies (or Gaedelica), he was editor in 1913,
Member of Royal Irish Academy, studied Irish manuscripts in RIA, TCD and Maynooth,
mar 17th Oct 1918 to Mary Buckley [Mary B., born 1889, dau of Michael Buckley of Rathcormack, Co.Cork], no issue,
(todo) see mar of Thomas F. O'Rahilly, [GROI], Middleton, 4th qr 1918, vol 4, p 275,

Prof of Irish at TCD 1919-29,
compiled the Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy, RIA, 1926-58, repub by School of Celtic Studies, ref. B 2.7,
D.Litt. Celt. (Honoris causa), NUI 1928,
Research Prof of Gaelic Language, UCC 1929-35,
Research Prof of Gaelic Language, UCD 1935-40,
he gave some assistance to his old schoolfriend de Valera in drafting of the 1937 Constitution of Ireland,
he was at Nell's funeral, 1939,
in Oct 1940 (see Dail, 6 May, 1947) he was appointed the first Director of the School of Celtic Studies at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, he was Director until 1947,
"Prof. T.F. O'Rahilly" listed as living 4 Highfield Rd, Rathgar, Dublin in [Thom's, 1945], still there at death 1953,
edited Celtica journal, vol.1, 1946-50,
retired 1947,
Litt. D., TCD, 1948,
appointed Honorary Prof of Irish Language, TCD, Jan 1953,
died at his house, 4 Highfield Rd, Rathgar, 16th Nov 1953, age 71 yrs,
(todo) see death of Thomas F. O'Rahilly, [GROI], Dublin South, 4th qr 1953, vol 2, p 370,
bur Glasnevin Cemetery.
See [Dict. Ir. Biog.] and [Dict. Ir. Writers].

Mary's address on her grave record is still 4 Highfield Rd, Rathgar,
she died 16 Oct 1969, age 80 yrs [grave record],
bur Glasnevin Cemetery.

T.F.'s works on Irish history, language, poetry, and other topics, include:

1. Danfhocail - Irish Epigrams in Verse, Dublin, 1921.
2. A Miscellany of Irish Proverbs, Dublin, 1922.
3. Búrdúin bheaga: pithy Irish quatrains, Dublin, 1925.
4. Dánta grádha: an anthology of Irish love poetry (A.D. 1350-1750), 1925, 2nd edn 1926, new edn 1975.
5. Measgra dánta: miscellaneous Irish poems, Cork, 1927, repub 1977.

6. The Poems of Eoghain Ruaidh Mhic an Bhaird, Galway, 1930.
   The reference is:
   Tomás Ó Raghallaigh, Duanta Eoghain Ruaidh Mhic an Bhaird (1930).
   Entry in [NUI Galway library] 891.25 McAN confirms this is him.

7. Irish dialects past and present, Dublin, 1932, repub 1972 by School of Celtic Studies, ref. E 2.10.
8. The Goidels and their predecessors, 1936.

   
   

9. The two Patricks: a lecture on the history of Christianity, DIAS, 1942.
   This presented a new theory that the accounts of St.Patrick confused two different missionaries to Ireland - Palladius, the one sent by the Pope (early 400s AD), and Patrick, the famous and successful one (late 400s). O'Rahilly's version is now largely accepted.
   See Irish Times, March 21, 1942.

   The humourist Flann O'Brien wrote in the Irish Times, April 10, 1942, about the new Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies: "Talking of this notorious Institute ... a friend has drawn my attention to Professor O’Rahilly’s recent address on "Palladius and Patrick". I understand also that Professor Schrödinger has been proving lately that you cannot establish a first cause. The first fruit of the Institute therefore, has been an effort to show that there are two Saint Patricks and no God."

   James Plunkett wrote in 1972: "I can still recall the great scandal of 1942, when a book called The Two Patricks was published by a learned Irish Professor who advanced the theory that there was one Patrick (Palladius Patrick) whose mission lasted from 432-461, and another who arrived in 462 and died about 490. The suggestion caused a national unheaval. If the careers of the two Patricks, through scholarly bungling, had become inextricably entangled, who did what? And worse still - which of them was the patron saint? If you addressed a prayer to one, might it not be delivered by mistake to the other? There was a feeling abroad that any concession to the two Patricks theory would lead unfailingly to a theory of no Patrick at all." [Hopkin, 1989]

   
   

10. Early Irish history and mythology, 1946, repub 1976, 1984.
    This work developed "O'Rahilly's historical model", a controversial theory of the Celtic invasions in Irish prehistory in the 1st millennium BC (written history begins in Ireland in 5th cent AD). "His ideas, though extremely influential, are no longer universally accepted."

    In particular, modern DNA studies suggest the pre-Celtic native Irish adopted Celtic culture, rather than there being a large invasion of actual Celtic people from Europe. That is, in their DNA the Irish and Scots are not "Celtic". Nor are the English "Norman" or "Anglo-Saxon" (or even Celtic). Rather, DNA studies suggest the English, Irish, Welsh and Scots are all mainly of pre-Celtic stock.