Ronan Fanning
Professor Ronan Fanning in 2016
Born(1941-05-06)6 May 1941
Died18 January 2017(2017-01-18) (aged 75)
NationalityIrish
OccupationHistorian

Ronan Fanning (6 May 1941[1] – 18 January 2017)[2] was an Irish historian.

Biography

The son of an Irish doctor and English Montessori teacher, Fanning was educated at St Michael's College, Dublin and C.B.C. Monkstown. He received his undergraduate degree from UCD and his doctoral thesis on "Balfour and Unionism" from Cambridge University.[3] He was Fulbright Professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC in 1976-1977, researching the triangular relationship between Britain, Ireland and the US.

In 1978, he wrote the book, The Irish Department of Finance, (1922-1958), hailed as a pioneering work on the transfer of power from the British government to the Irish administration of W. T. Cosgrave and later to that of Éamon de Valera.[3]

Amongst his other noted books included Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1910-1922, which examines the British government's role in Ireland's struggle for Independence.

Fanning's academic work focused primarily on diplomacy and high politics. He was strongly in favour of commemoration of the Easter Rising and critical of former Taoiseach John Bruton's criticism of the Rising.[4]

He was professor of modern History at University College Dublin and director of archives at the School of History and Archives (University College Dublin). A member of the Royal Irish Academy, he was a member of the board of the Dictionary of Irish Biography and the Documents on Irish Foreign Policy.[5] He was also a regular political, historical and current affairs columnist at the Sunday Independent.[6]

Fanning died on 18 January 2017. He was 75. President Michael D Higgins described him as an "admired and respected historian whose extensive research and writings delivered a rich legacy to Irish scholarship".[7]

Publications

Ronan Fanning, list of publications.

References

  1. ^ "Obituary: Ronan Fanning". The Irish Times. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  2. ^ Donnelly, Katherine (19 January 2017). "President: professor left a rich legacy of research". Irish Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2017. President Michael D Higgins led the tributes to the noted historian, Professor Ronan Fanning, who died yesterday.
  3. ^ a b "Professor Ronan Fanning: A giant of Irish historiography". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ "Historian Ronan Fanning challenges John Bruton over necessity for 1916 Rising". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ About the Dictionary of Irish Biography
  6. ^ Editors of Documents on Irish Foreign Policy
  7. ^ "'Brilliant teacher' and historian Ronan Fanning dies". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
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