Tomás Ó Con Cheanainn (1921 – 13 June 2015) was an Irish scholar and historian. A native of Baile an tSagairt, Cois Fhairrge, County Galway, Ó Con Cheanainn won a scholarship in 1940 to

University College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

, studying for a BA in Irish and Classics. His MA thesis concerned a hagiographical text in the

Leabhar Breac An Leabhar Breac ("The Speckled Book"; Middle Irish: An Lebar Brec), now less commonly Leabhar Mór Dúna Doighre (The Great Book of Dun Doighre") or possibly erroneously, Leabhar Breac Mic Aodhagáin ("The Speckled Book of the MacEgans"), is a ...

- the early 15th-century codex was later a subject of "a major palaeographical study, which marked the commencement of a virtual reinvention, wrought single-handedly in his lifetime, of scholarly knowledge concerning the culture and traditions of Connacht." According to his obit in

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

: "Tomás had an unrivalled knowledge of the literary and historical content of Irish manuscripts, medieval and modern. But he was also a palaeographical “natural”, possessed of a wonderfully keen eye for the salient features of a scribal hand. Long before digital imagery and databases, he showed a capacity to recall and associate such features in manuscripts from different collections, and to fix an identity previously unrecognised. He mastered the art of describing styles of handwriting with clarity and exactness, regardless of whether he was writing in English or, as he did almost exclusively in later years, in Irish." Ó Con Cheanainn held the chair of Classical Irish at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

until his retirement in 1986. From 1975 to 1986 he edited Éigse: A Journal of Irish Studies, and was a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

. The last of his many articles, written when age 90, concerned his dynastic ancestors, the

Uí Díarmata Uí Díarmata was a local kingdom located in what is now north County Galway. Origins The ruling dynasty took its name from King Diarmait Finn of Connacht (died 833), and the territory in turn was named after them. It seems to have been created ...

and the process by which its ruling sept adopted the surname Ua Con Cheanainn.

External links

*http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/an-appreciation-tom%C3%A1s-%C3%B3-con-cheanainn-1.2275036 *http://bill.celt.dias.ie/vol4/author.php?AuthorID=215 {{DEFAULTSORT:OCon Cheanainn, Tomas 20th-century Irish historians People from County Galway 1921 births 2015 deaths

See also

External links