16 Facts About Kevin Danaher

Kevin Danaher was an Irish folklorist with a special interest in ethnography and military history.

Kevin Danaher was born in Athea, County Limerick, Ireland, on 30 January 1913.

In 1934, Kevin Danaher became a part-time collector for the Irish Folklore Commission.

Kevin Danaher attended University College Dublin, graduating with a BA in 1937.

Kevin Danaher was awarded a fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to carry out postgraduate studies in Germany, and studied comparative folklore and ethnology for two years at the Universities of Berlin and Leipzig.

When World War II broke out, Kevin Danaher returned to Ireland and joined the Irish Army.

Kevin Danaher rose to the rank of captain, and served as an instructor for the Irish Artillery Corps, training soldiers in Kildare, Ireland.

Kevin Danaher's groundbreaking work in the area of seasonal customs and folk practices would later appear in his many articles and books.

From 1973 through his retirement in 1983, Kevin Danaher was lecturer for the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin.

Kevin Danaher was the group's president from 1971 through 1980, and editor of their journal, The Irish Sword, from 1960 through 1970.

Kevin Danaher was a member of The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and contributed to the Society's journal.

When Kevin Danaher retired from his position at University College Dublin, his students organised a celebratory volume in his honour: Sinsear: The Folklore Journal 4.

In 1985, Kevin Danaher suffered a stroke, the effects of which put an end to his professional career.

Kevin Danaher died on 14 March 2002, after a long illness.

From 1938 to 1970, Kevin Danaher shot and collected photographs from all over Ireland, available for free online at www.

In 1948 Kevin Danaher recorded the last native Manx speakers on the Isle of Man, on behalf of the Irish Folklore Commission, redeeming a promise made by Eamon de Valera when, as taoiseach, he visited the island in 1947.