John O'Donovan (scholar) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John O'Donovan
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| Born | 25 July 1806 County Kilkenny, Ireland
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| Died | 10 December 1861 (aged 55) Dublin, Ireland
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| Education | Hunt's Academy, Waterford |
| Known for | topographer |
John O'Donovan (Irish: Seán Ó Donnabháin) was an important Irish scholar. He was born on July 25, 1806, in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He went to school at Hunt's Academy in Waterford. John O'Donovan spent his life studying the Irish language and the history of Ireland. He passed away on December 10, 1861, in Dublin.
John O'Donovan's Story
John O'Donovan was the fourth son of Edmond O'Donovan and Eleanor Hoberlin. Early in his career, he worked for a historian named James Hardiman. John helped Hardiman research old government papers and traditional stories at the National Archives of Ireland. Hardiman even offered him a spot at Maynooth College, but John decided not to go.
In 1830, John O'Donovan joined the Topographical Department of the first Ordnance Survey of Ireland. This was a big project to map all of Ireland. He worked under George Petrie. John's main job was to research place names. He spent many years finding and saving old writings and maps. He traveled all over Ireland, looking through libraries and archives in Ireland and England. His goal was to find the correct history for as many of Ireland's 63,000 townland names as possible. His letters about his travels are a great record of Ireland's ancient stories.
Later, John O'Donovan became a professor of Celtic Languages at Queen's University in Belfast. In 1847, he became a lawyer. The Royal Irish Academy recognized his amazing work on languages in 1848. They gave him a special award called the Cunningham Medal. In 1856, he was also chosen to be a member of the Royal Academy of Prussia. This was a great honor.
John O'Donovan was not always in good health. He died in Dublin on December 10, 1861. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. He was married to Mary Anne Broughton and they had nine children.
See also
- Mícheál Ó Cléirigh
- James Ussher
- Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh
- Eoin MacNeill
