Pádraig de Brún
Encyclopedia
Monsignor Pádraig de Brún (1889 – 1960) was an Irish
clergyman, mathematician and classical scholar, who served as President of University College Galway.
De Brún was born at Grangemockler, County Tipperary
, in 1889, the son of a primary school teacher. He was educated locally, at Rockwell College
, Cashel, and at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, Dublin. He was awarded an M.A. degree by the National University of Ireland
, and won a travelling scholarship in mathematics and mathematical physics, enabling him to pursue further studies in Paris
. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood at the Irish College in Paris
in 1913, and took his D.Sc. from the Sorbonne
for a thesis in mathematics.
After a period at the University of Göttingen, de Brún was appointed Professor of Mathematics at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, in 1914. In April 1945, he was elected by the Senate of the National University of Ireland to succeed Mgr. John Hynes as President of University College Galway, an office he held until his retirement in 1959. He subsequently became Chairman of the Arts Council of Ireland, a position he held until his death in 1960. He also served as Chairman of the Council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
De Brún was a prolific writer of poetry, including the well-known poem in the Irish language "Thánaig Long ó Valparaiso". He translated into Irish many classical works, including Homer
's Iliad
and Odyssey
, Sophocles
' Antigone
and Oedipus Rex
, and Plutarch
's Lives
, as well as Dante
's The Divine Comedy
.
The French Government awarded Mgr. de Brún the title of Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur
in 1949, and in 1956, the order "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" was conferred on him by the President of Italy
. He was created a domestic prelate by the Pope
in 1950.
Mgr. de Brún died in Dublin on June 5, 1960. His brother was Cardinal
Michael Browne O.P. His sister, Margaret Browne, married the Irish revolutionary and statesman Seán MacEntee
with whom she had a daughter Máire (the noted Irish scholar, Máire Mhac an tSaoi
).
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...
clergyman, mathematician and classical scholar, who served as President of University College Galway.
De Brún was born at Grangemockler, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, in 1889, the son of a primary school teacher. He was educated locally, at Rockwell College
Rockwell College
Rockwell College, founded in 1864, is a private Catholic secondary school near Cashel, South Tipperary in Ireland. It offers day as well as full boarding. Rockwell is run by the Holy Ghost Fathers.-Politics:...
, Cashel, and at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, Dublin. He was awarded an M.A. degree by the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
, and won a travelling scholarship in mathematics and mathematical physics, enabling him to pursue further studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood at the Irish College in Paris
Irish College in Paris
The Irish College in Paris was for three centuries a major Roman Catholic educational establishment, for Irish students. It was founded in the late sixteenth century, and closed down by the French government in the early twentieth century....
in 1913, and took his D.Sc. from the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
for a thesis in mathematics.
After a period at the University of Göttingen, de Brún was appointed Professor of Mathematics at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, in 1914. In April 1945, he was elected by the Senate of the National University of Ireland to succeed Mgr. John Hynes as President of University College Galway, an office he held until his retirement in 1959. He subsequently became Chairman of the Arts Council of Ireland, a position he held until his death in 1960. He also served as Chairman of the Council of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
De Brún was a prolific writer of poetry, including the well-known poem in the Irish language "Thánaig Long ó Valparaiso". He translated into Irish many classical works, including Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
and Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
, Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
' Antigone
Antigone (Sophocles)
Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first...
and Oedipus Rex
Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
, and Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
's Lives
Parallel Lives
Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly called Parallel Lives or Plutarch's Lives, is a series of biographies of famous men, arranged in tandem to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings, written in the late 1st century...
, as well as Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
.
The French Government awarded Mgr. de Brún the title of Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1949, and in 1956, the order "Al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" was conferred on him by the President of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He was created a domestic prelate by the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in 1950.
Mgr. de Brún died in Dublin on June 5, 1960. His brother was Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Michael Browne O.P. His sister, Margaret Browne, married the Irish revolutionary and statesman Seán MacEntee
Seán MacEntee
Seán MacEntee was an Irish politician. In a career that spanned over forty years as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála, MacEntee was one of the most important figures in post-independence Ireland. He served in the governments of Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass in a range of ministerial positions,...
with whom she had a daughter Máire (the noted Irish scholar, Máire Mhac an tSaoi
Máire Mhac an tSaoi
-Background:Mhac an tSaoi was born as Máire MacEntee in Dublin in 1922. Her father, Seán MacEntee, a native of Belfast, was a founding member of Fianna Fáil, a long-serving TD and Tánaiste in the Dáil and a participant in the Easter Rising of 1916. Her mother, County Tipperary-born Margaret Browne...
).
Sources
- Obituary, The Irish Times, 6 June 1960
- University College Galway