The Lives of Daniel Binchy: Irish Scholar, Diplomat, Public Intellectual

Tom Garvin’s definitive and fascinating biography explores the life of the indelible Irish public intellectual and diplomat Daniel Binchy, whose personal and public life, spotlights post-independence Ireland at its inception.

Binchy was Ireland’s ambassador to Germany from 1929 to 1932, promoting a modernising and independent Irish Free State while experiencing at first hand the disconcerting rise of Nazism and fascism. His meeting with Adolf Hitler and his landmark Studies article were a brave warning against the dangers of totalitarianism. It was not long, however, before he had reverted to the pursuit of medieval history, becoming perhaps the greatest Celtic Studies scholar of his day, advancing to hold senior positions in UCD, Corpus Christi College Oxford, Harvard and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.