Éamon Hanrahan

Edward (Éamon) T. Hanrahan (1917 – 30 November 2012) was an Irish civil engineer, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, and Head of department in the School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at University College Dublin (UCD). Owing to his contributions to geotechnical engineering education and practice in Ireland, a biennial lecture at UCD's Geotechnical Society is named in his honour. He published work in Irish and British journals including Géotechnique, and published several works on peat and glacial tills which continue to be cited in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering research.

Early life and education Hanrahan was born in Limerick City in 1917. He attended local primary and secondary schools before studying engineering at UCD. He was awarded a BE degree in Civil Engineering in 1939.

Hanrahan's work extended the theoretical framework provided by Keverling Buisman by offering practical insights and empirical data, particularly focusing on the unique behaviour of peat under various conditions. This progression signified a development from theoretical and generalized concepts of soft soil mechanics towards more specific and detailed understanding of peat's behavior in engineering applications. Hanrahan's contributions to soil mechanics were not limited to peat and soft soils, and he also contributed to improved understanding of the behaviour of glacial tills in Ireland.

Personal life Hanrahan had an interest in the Irish language, Gaelic games, and he was a lifelong member of the St Vincent de Paul Society. A biennial lecture at the Geotechnical Society of UCD is named in his honour.

Selected publications Hanrahan, E.T. (1954). An investigation of physical properties of peat. Géotechnique 4, No. 3, 108–121, Link. Hanrahan, E.T. (1964). A road failure on peat. Géotechnique 14, No. 3, 185–202, Link. Hanrahan, E.T. (1965). A design method for construction on peat. Transactions of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland 92, November. Hanrahan, E.T. & Walsh, J.A. (1965). Investigation of behaviour of peat under varying conditions of stress and strain. Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Montreal. Hanrahan, E.T. (1967). The fallacy of plain strain in consolidation. Civil Engineering Public Works Review, June. Hanrahan, E.T. (1968). Analysing strain in real solids. Civil Engineering Public Works Review, March. Hanrahan, E.T. (1985). The geotechnics of real materials: the Eg, Ek method. Elsevier. .