REMEMBERING DAN BINCHY

Charleville Heritage Society
PROFESSOR
DANIEL A. BINCHY
Present
4 Fes"val of History Weekend ‘15
1899 – 1989
Daniel A. Binchy was born at Main Street, Charleville
in June 1899 to William P. Binchy and Annie Browne.
The family lived over their shop in the building now
occupied by Brudair’s Confectionery and Coffee Shop.
The front facade of the building is as it was when the
young Dan Binchy was born.
He was educated in Charleville, Banagher, Clongowes
Wood and University College Dublin from where he
graduated with a degree in Legal and Political
Science. He also took an MA in History on a
diplomatic aspect of the Desmond Rebellion. He also
studied for three years at the University of Munich in
1921 (where he first saw Hitler).
th
REMEMBERING
DAN BINCHY
Irish Minister to Germany
Daniel A. Binchy leaving the
Reichstag building in Berlin
after presenting his
credentials to the German
government in 1929
(1899-1989)
A fluent German speaker, he took leave of absence from his position as
lecturer in Roman Law and Jurisprudence at U.C.D., when he was invited
by the first government of W. T. Cosgrave to become the first Irish Minister
to represent the fledgling state in Germany in 1929. He accepted and
represented Ireland with distinction until 1932 when he returned to
academia on the fall of the Cosgrave government and de Valera came to
power.
After spending twenty years in U.C.D. he resigned his post there to take up
a Senior Research Fellowship at Corpus Christi College in Oxford, where he
spent five years. During his time in Oxford he completed the first volume
of the ‘Corpus Iuris Hibernici,’ a study of Early Irish Law. He also completed
his classic ‘Church and State in Fascist Italy’ during this time.’
Abbey Printing 063 89711
Professor Binchy then returned to Dublin where he was appointed Senior
Professor in the School of Celtic Studies at the Institute of Advanced
Studies and remained there for the last twenty-five years of his active
academic life, during which time he completed the remaining five volumes
of the Corpus Iuris. He retired in 1975 and died on the 11th May, 1989 aged
89 years. Professor Daniel A. Binchy is interred in Dublin.
Professor of Early Irish Law and Linguistics
and First Irish Minister to Germany
1929-1932
at Charleville
Park Hotel
30th October - 1st November 2015
P R O G R A M M E
A Word of Welcome
from Ian Doyle
On behalf of Charleville Heritage Society it
gives me great pleasure to welcome you to
this the fourth Festival of History organised
by my committee. After the success of the Archbishop Mannix Memorial
Weekend for the Gathering in 2013, the Eliza Lynch Weekend in 2014
and the Sean Clarach Mac Domhnaill Weekend last May (2015), on this
occasion we are remembering another native of Charleville, Professor
Dan Binchy. Born at Main Street, Charleville in 1899, he was a member
of an old established Charleville family, long associated with the
business and legal practice in the town. Dan Binchy was the first Irish
Minister to Germany from 1929 to 1932.
As you will see from the following programme we have assembled an
attractive line-up of distinguished speakers to recall the life of Dan
Binchy, who along with being a diplomat, was also a prominent
academic and author.
I hope you will be able to attend one of the events we have organised
over the weekend, either at the Charleville Park Hotel, or on the walk to
places of historical interest around Charleville town.
I would like to thank my fellow members on the committee for organising
this weekend and Charleville Chamber, of which the Heritage Society is a
sub-committee and comprises of: Ian Doyle (Chairman), P. J. McCarthy,
Michael Donegan, Kerry Corkery, Michael McGrath, Katie McCurry, Myles
Clavin.
I look forward to meeting you and I hope you enjoy the weekend.
Ian Doyle
Chairman, Charleville Heritage Society
FRIDAY 30th October: at Charleville Park Hotel :: Adm: €5
8.00pm:
8.15pm:
Official opening of Weekend by Owen Binchy
Seminar: ‘Remembering Dan Binchy’
Speakers:
●
Owen Binchy
Topic: Dan Binchy – His Charleville Ancestry
●
Dr. Claire O’Reilly, Author and Lecturer in German-Irish
Relations at University College Cork
Topic: ‘Irish Minister in Germany Daniel Binchy –
A Man Ahead of his Time’
●
Professor Niall Osborough, formerly of U.C.D.:
Topic: ‘Daniel Binchy – ‘Diplomat & Academic’
●
P.J. McCarthy, President Charleville Chamber:
Topic: ‘Trading with Germany’
SATURDAY 31st October:
2.30pm – 4.30pm: Historical Walk around Charleville
conducted by Owen Binchy – Assembly at Holy Cross Church
8.15pm: Seminar at Charleville Park Hotel :: Adm: €5
●
Speakers: Professor Liam Irwin, University of Limerick:
Topic: ‘Coming out of the Ivory Tower – D.A. Binchy and
the Patrician Problem’
●
Cllr. Ian Doyle: Topic: ‘Daniel Binchy – His Later Life’
●
Professor Niall Osborough: Topic: ‘Daniel A. Binchy –
Aspects of Early Irish History’
●
Owen Binchy: Topic: ‘A Commentary on Dan Binchy’s
Article on the old name of Charleville.’ (The article was
published in 1963 and discusses the relative merits of the
names Rathgoggan, Charleville, Rath Luirc and An Ráth)
9.00pm: Fancy Dress Disco in Ed’s Bar at the Charleville Park Hotel
proceeds to St. Joseph’s Foundation Charleville.
SUNDAY 1st November:
10.00am – 12.30pm: Coffee Morning at Charleville Park Hotel.
Holy Family Special Needs School, Baker’s Road,
Charleville will benefit from the proceeds.