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Ronan Fanning

1941 – 2017

Irish historian

Contemporary historianUniversity teacher Historian
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About Ronan Fanning

Lived 1941 – 2017 (aged 75). Ronan Fanning was an Irish contemporary historian, university teacher and historian.

Ronan Fanning MRIA (6 May 1941 18 January 2017) was an Irish historian.

Biography The son of an Irish doctor and English Montessori teacher, Fanning was educated at St Michael's College, Dublin and C.B.C. Monkstown. He received his undergraduate degree from UCD and his doctoral thesis on "Balfour and Unionism" from Cambridge University. He was Fulbright Professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC in 1976-1977, researching the triangular relationship between Britain, Ireland and the US.

In 1978, he wrote the book, The Irish Department of Finance, (1922-1958), hailed as a pioneering work on the transfer of power from the British government to the Irish administration of W. T. Cosgrave and later to that of Éamon de Valera.

He was professor of modern History at University College Dublin and director of archives at the School of History and Archives (University College Dublin). A member of the Royal Irish Academy (MRIA), he was a member of the board of the Dictionary of Irish Biography and the Documents on Irish Foreign Policy. He was also a regular political, historical and current affairs columnist at the Sunday Independent.

Fanning died on 18 January 2017. He was 75. President Michael D Higgins described him as an "admired and respected historian whose extensive research and writings delivered a rich legacy to Irish scholarship".

Publications Documents on Irish Foreign Policy by Catriona Crowe, Ronan Fanning, Michael Kennedy, Dermot Keogh, Eunan O'Halpin. Royal Irish Academy, (1-904890-03-2) Independent Ireland, The Educational Company of Ireland, (0-86167-301-8) The Irish Department of Finance, (1922-58) by Ronan Fanning, Institute of Public Administration (Ireland) Staff Hardcover, Institute of Public Administration, (0-902173-82-0) Religion and Rebellion by Judith Devlin, Ronan Fanning, University College Dublin Press, (1-900621-03-7) The Lives of Eliza Lynch by Michael Lillis and Ronan Fanning, Gill and Macmillan (September 2009). Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1910-1922 by Ronan Fanning, Faber and Faber (August 2013). Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power by Ronan Fanning, Faber and Faber (2015)

Ronan Fanning, list of publications.

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Important facts

Born
Birth century
Occupation
Contemporary historian, university teacher, historian
Nationality
Education
C.B.C. Monkstown
Employers
University College Dublin

People in Ronan Fanning's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ronan Fanning's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ronan Fanning?

Irish historian

When was Ronan Fanning born?

Ronan Fanning was born on 6 May 1941.

When did Ronan Fanning die?

Ronan Fanning died on 18 January 2017.

What was Ronan Fanning's occupation?

Ronan Fanning was a contemporary historian, university teacher and historian.

What nationality was Ronan Fanning?

Ronan Fanning was Irish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ronan Fanning

· Wikidata: Q15435146

· DBpedia: Ronan Fanning

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ronan Fanning. https://biography.guide/ronan-fanning/

MLA: "Ronan Fanning." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ronan-fanning/.

Chicago: "Ronan Fanning." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ronan-fanning/.

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