Micheline Kerney Walsh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Micheline Kerney Walsh
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Micheline Kerney
21 October 1919 La Celle-Saint-Cloud, Seine-et-Oise (Yvelines)
|
| Died | 8 May 1997 (aged 77) Mespil Estate, Dublin, Ireland
|
Micheline Kerney Walsh (born October 21, 1919 – died May 8, 1997) was an important Irish historian and archivist. An archivist is someone who collects and keeps old records and documents. A historian studies and writes about the past.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Micheline Kerney Walsh was born on October 21, 1919. Her birthplace was La Celle-Saint-Cloud, a town near Paris, France. Her parents were Leopold H. Kerney and Raymonde Élie. She had two brothers, John and Eamon.
Micheline went to several schools. She studied at the Cross and Passion Convent in Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland. She also attended Loreto College in Madrid, Spain. Later, she went to Loreto College in St Stephen's Green, Dublin.
In 1938, she started studying at University College Dublin (UCD). She earned her degree in languages in 1941. On September 30, 1941, she married Richard Brazil Walsh. They had six children: three sons and three daughters.
Career as a Historian
Micheline Kerney Walsh started working at the Overseas Archives in UCD in 1954. This special archive collected historical documents from other countries. Her work focused on Irish people who had lived or worked abroad.
Key Books and Research
Micheline wrote many important books. In 1960, she published The O'Neills in Spain. This book was about the O'Neill family, a famous Irish family, and their connections to Spain. She also wrote The McDonnells of Antrim on the Continent.
One of her biggest projects was a four-volume series. It was called Spanish knights of Irish origin. The books came out in 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1978. These books helped people learn about Irish soldiers and nobles who served in Spain.
Her research often looked at specific people. She wrote about the women of the Flight of the Wild Geese. This term refers to Irish soldiers and nobles who left Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. She also studied Irishmen who served in other empires. She wrote about Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, a famous Irish leader. Her articles appeared in The Irish Sword, a journal about military history.
Awards and Recognition
Micheline was very respected for her work. In 1980, she joined the council of the Military History Society of Ireland. Six years later, in 1986, she became the society's first woman vice-president.
She wrote 11 articles for Seanchas Ard Mhacha. This is a journal from Cumann Seanchais Ard Mhacha. Her articles were about the O'Neills and other links between Ireland and Spain. The society also published her book in 1986. It was called Destruction by peace: Hugh O'Neill after Kinsale.
In July 1986, the King and Queen of Spain visited St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Micheline Kerney Walsh presented a copy of her book to King Juan Carlos.
In 1988, she received a special award. It was the Order of Isabella the Catholic. This award is given by Spain. Micheline was the first Irish woman to receive it. This showed how much her work on Irish-Spanish history was valued. Also in 1988, the National University of Ireland gave her a doctorate degree for her published work.
Death and Legacy
Micheline Kerney Walsh passed away on May 8, 1997. She died at her home in Dublin.
She left her personal collection of overseas archives to a special library. This was the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive in Armagh. It opened on May 8, 1999. The rest of her overseas archives were given to the library at UCD. Her work continues to help people learn about Irish history and its connections to other countries.
