Alfred O'Rahilly

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Alfred O'Rahilly (1884-1969) Born in Listowel, County Kerry, O'Rahilly was a noted academic, President of UCC and Teachta Dála for Cork City.

1 Education and Academia
2 Politics and public life
3 Religion
4 Links and sources

[edit] Education and Academia

Educated at St.Michael's College in Listowel, and at Blackrock College in Dublin, O'Rahilly went on to third level education at University College Cork, where he completed an MA and PhD.

He was appointed assistant lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Physics in 1914, and made full Professor of Mathematical Physics in 1917. He became Registrar of the college in 1920, and held the post until 1943 when he became President of the University.

O'Rahilly founded the Cork University Press in 1931.

[edit] Politics and public life

After the 1916 Rising O'Rahilly publicly supported Sinn Féin and was elected to Cork City Council as a Sinn Féin and Transport Workers candidate. Arrested early in 1921 for political writings, O'Rahilly was interned on Spike Island Prison Colony.

Released in October, 1921 he was constitutional adviser to the Irish Treaty Delegation. O'Rahilly supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty and in 1922 he composed a draft constitution for the Irish Free State with Edmund Darrell Figgis.

O'Rahilly lead Irish delegations to the International Labour Organisation Conferences in 1924, 1925 and 1932, and took on conciliatory role in trade union and employers disputes in Munster.

Standing as a candidate in Cork City for Cumann na nGaedhael, he was elected to the 4th Dáil in 1923. He stood down in 1924, causing a by-election, in which he was replaced by Michael Egan (also Cumann na nGaedheal).

[edit] Religion

A deeply religious Catholic from early life, O'Rahilly was a member of the Society of Jesus. He maintained his (sometimes controversial) religious views throughout his life, and became a priest, and then Monsignor, in later years following the death of his wife.