D. A. Binchy
Daniel Anthony Binchy(1899–1989)[1]was a scholar ofIrishlinguisticsandearly Irish law.
He was educated atClongowes Wood College(1910–16),University College Dublin(UCD) and theKing's Inns(1917–20) after which he was called to thebar.He also studied at the universities ofMunich,BerlinandParis.From 1919 to 1920, he was Auditor of theLiterary and Historical Societyof UCD.[2]
He served theDepartment of Foreign AffairsinBerlinasIreland's first ambassadorto Germany, then ruled by theWeimar Republic,from 1929 to 1932.[3][4]While there he received instruction inOld Irishfrom pioneeringSwissCelticistRudolf Thurneysen.This allowed Binchy to read original manuscripts and begin his study ofearly Irish law.He was for a time the main academic investigating the legal system, and for some time, his ideas were the orthodoxy. While his contributions still underlie the foundations, some of his analysis, however, has since been re-examined. Many of his attempts to connect early Irish law toCeltic lawand even toIndo-Europeanlaw have come under considerable doubt.[citation needed]However, his contributions are also lasting on account of his production of numerous translations and editions of legal texts.
From 1949, he worked as a senior professor ofCeltic studiesat theDublin Institute for Advanced Studies.His activities are affectionately satirized inBrian O'Nolan's poemBinchy andBerginandBest,originally printed in theCruiskeen Lawncolumn in theIrish Timesand now included inThe Best of Myles.[5]He was a close friend ofFrank O'Connor.
His final major work, the six-volumeCorpus Iuris Hibernici,collected almost all texts in the native Irish legal tradition and thus offers later scholars a firm ground to stand upon.[6]
Binchy was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin 1962.[7]He was the uncle of the authorMaeve Binchyand of the academicWilliam Binchy.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^Ó Murchú, Máirtín (1992). "Matters of Record".Newsletter of the School of Celtic Studies.5.Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies:16–19.
- ^Charles-Edwards, Thomas;Kennedy, Michael."Binchy, Daniel Anthony".Dictionary of Irish Biography.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2020.Retrieved6 August2020.
- ^McDonald, Henry (6 May 2016)."'A born natural orator': Irish student's account of Hitler in 1921 emerges ".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 7 May 2016.Retrieved6 May2016.
- ^"Ricorso: Digital materials for the study and appreciation of Anglo-Irish Literature".www.ricorso.net.Archivedfrom the original on 25 July 2018.Retrieved8 January2013.
- ^"History of the School".DIASSchool of Celtic_Studies.Archived fromthe originalon 9 November 2004.
- ^D.A. Binchy, Corpus Iuris Hibernici, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
- ^"Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B"(PDF).American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Archived(PDF)from the original on 18 June 2006.Retrieved20 July2011.
External links
[edit]
- Celtic studies scholars
- 1899 births
- 1989 deaths
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Academics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
- Alumni of King's Inns
- Alumni of University College Dublin
- Ambassadors of Ireland to Germany
- Auditors of the Literary and Historical Society (University College Dublin)
- Binchy family
- Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
- People educated at Clongowes Wood College
- University of Paris alumni
- 20th-century Irish historians
- Irish expatriates in Germany
- Irish expatriates in France