Son of Reverend Arthur Hyde, rector of Tibohine, Frenchpark, Douglas Hyde was educated at Trinity College in Dublin. After spending a year in Canada, he returned to Ireland and devoted himself to literary pursuits and the revival of Irish. He collected Irish folklore and poetry, published collections of folk-tales. In 1893 he became the president of the Gaelic League, the national movement for the revival of the Irish language. Hyde became the first professor of Modern Irish in University College, Dublin (1909) and held the chair until his retirement in 1932. He resigned the presidency of the Gaelic League in 1915, when it became clear that it had become a political organization. He was a member of Seanad Éireann (4 Feb 1925 - 9 Dec 1925). When the office of President of Ireland was created under the Constitution of 1937, Hyde was unanimously selected by all parties and held office until his term expired in 1945. Biography source: [1; 2] |
