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Francis John Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934 Shanghai |
| Died | 2017 (aged 82–83) |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupation | Historian |
Francis John Byrne (1934 – 30 December 2017)[1] was anIrish historian.
Born inShanghai where his father, aDundalk man, captained a ship on theYellow River, Byrne was evacuated with his mother toAustralia on the outbreak ofWorld War II. After the war, his mother returned toIreland, where his father, who had survived internment inJapanese hands, returned to take up work as a harbour master inHowth.
Byrne attendedBlackrock College inCounty Dublin where he learnedLatin andGreek, to add to theChinese he had learned in his Shanghai childhood. He studied Early Irish History atUniversity College Dublin where he excelled, graduating with first class honours. He studiedPaleography andMedieval Latin in Germany, and then lectured onCeltic languages inSweden, before returning to University College in 1964 to take up a professorship.
Byrne's best known work is hisIrish Kings and High-Kings (1973). He was joint editor of theRoyal Irish Academy'sNew History of Ireland (9 volumes). Afestschrift in his honour,Seanchas (1999), was published under the editorship of his former student Alfred P. Smyth.
He retired in 2000, and died in December 2017.
