James Patrick Carney was a noted Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 Celtic scholar.

He was born in Portlaoise, County Laois

County Laois

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...

 and was educated at the Christian Brothers

Congregation of Christian Brothers

The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...

 school in Synge Street, Dublin. He took his degree at University College Dublin

University College Dublin

University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

 in 1935, before going to Bonn University to study under Rudolf Thurneysen

Rudolf Thurneysen

Eduard Rudolf Thurneysen was a Swiss linguist and Celticist.Born in Basel, Thurneysen studied classical philology in Basel, Leipzig, Berlin and Paris. His teachers included Ernst Windisch and Heinrich Zimmer...

.

On returning to Dublin, Carney worked under Osborn Bergin

Osborn Bergin

Osborn Joseph Bergin was a scholar of the Irish language and Early Irish literature. He was born in Cork and was educated at Queen's College Cork , then went to Germany for advanced studies in Celtic languages, working with Heinrich Zimmer at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin...

, Gerard Murphy

Gerard Murphy

Gerard Murphy may refer to:* Gerard Murphy , Irish Fine Gael politician, TD for Cork North West* Gerard Murphy , Irish mathematics professor* Gerard Murphy in The Brink's Job...

, Richard Irvine Best

Richard Irvine Best

Richard Irvine Best , often known as R. I. Best, was an Irish scholar who specialised in Celtic Studies.Best was born into a Protestant family in Derry and educated at Foyle College before working for a time in a bank...

 and T. F. O'Rahilly

T. F. O'Rahilly

Thomas Francis O'Rahilly was an Irish scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the fields of Historical linguistics and Irish dialects. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy.-Biography:He was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland...

. He pioneered an approach to early Irish texts which focused on their literary merit and their affinities with the other literatures of the medieval world. His Studies in Irish Literature and History which appeared in 1956 challenged the 'nativist' approach to Irish literature which had dominated the scholarship of the previous decades. His work on Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....

 also proved controversial.

He was attached to the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies Dublin, Ireland was established in 1940 by the Taoiseach of the time, Éamon de Valera under the . The Institute consists of 3 schools: The , the and the . The directors of these schools are currently Professor Werner Nahm, Professor Luke Drury and...

 from its foundation by Éamon de Valera

Éamon de Valera

Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...

 in 1940 and became Professor of Irish there. From 1950–52 he was visiting professor at Uppsala University

Uppsala University

Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...

 where he and his wife founded a Department of Celtic Studies. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by that institution in 1975.

He was married to Maura Morrissey, also an academic and a member of the Royal Irish Academy

Royal Irish Academy

The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...

, who predeceased him in 1975. The couple had a son, Paul

Paul Carney

Paul Carney is a judge in the Irish High Court and the presiding judge of the Central Criminal Court. He is regarded as a leading expert on Irish criminal law and has presided over murder and rape trials since his appointment to the High Court in 1991...

, now a judge in the Irish High Court.

Select publications

• Topographical Poems by Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin
  Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin
  Seán Mór Ó Dubhagáin was an Irish Gaelic poet.-Background:Ó Dubhagáinn was among the first notable members of the bardic family Baile Uí Dhubhagáin , near Loughrea, County Galway...
  
   and Giolla na Naomh Ó hUuidrain, editor, (1943)
• Poems on the Butlers of Ormond, Cahir and Dunboyne, AD 1400-1650, editor, (1945)
• A Genealogical History of the O’Reillys, from Irish of Eoghan Ó Raghallaigh, editor, (1950)
• Studies in Irish Literature and History (1956)
• The Problem of St Patrick (1961)
• Early Irish Poetry (1965)
• Medieval Irish Lyrics (1967)
• The Irish Bardic Poet (1967)
• Poems on the O’Reillys, editor, (1970)