Kerry Library has received a donation of a framed photograph of Kerry native and Irish revolutionary, barrister, politician and judge Fionán Lynch.
It was presented by his grandnephew, Professor Tim Lynch, to the County Librarian Tommy O’Connor in the Kerry Library Archives.
Also present were former Minister Jimmy Deenihan and Professor Maurice Bric, Director of the Daniel O’Connell Summer School in Caherciveen.
The photograph, which includes a bi-lingual account of his life on either side of it, will be placed on permanent display at Caherciveen library.
The picture was prepared and presented by Fionan Lynch’s son Dermot who put a great of effort into designing the frame, having it printed and delivering it to the library.
Fionán Lynch was born in Caherciveen on 17 March 1899, the fourth son of Finian and Ellen Maria Lynch, both primary teachers. He was educated at St Brendan’s College, Killarney, Rockwell College and Blackrock College.
He qualified as a teacher in Swansea, South Wales where he formed a branch of the Gaelic League and taught the Irish language there. On his return to Dublin in 1909 he trained as a primary school teacher and joined the Keating Branch of the Gaelic League.
He was recruited into the Irish Republican Brotherhood, joined the Irish Volunteers and became captain of F company Battalion of the Dublin Brigade. He was actively involved in the Easter Rising and was subsequently imprisoned a number of times.
In a varied career he was a Sinn Féin TD for South Kerry in 1918 and for Kerry-Limerick West in 1921. Fionán was involved in the Treaty negotiations and later became Minister for Education in the provisional government. Post Civil War he served in the national army and was later elected a Cumann na nGaedheal TD.
He was Minister for Fisheries from 1922-28 and Minister for Lands and Fisheries 1928 -1932. In 1931 he qualified as a barrister and served as Leas Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil until 1939.
Fionán retired from politics in 1944 to concentrate on his legal practice and was subsequently appointed Circuit Court judge in the northwest district, retiring from the bench in 1959. Lynch died suddenly at his home in county Dublin on 3 June 1966.
His papers are on permanent loan to the Kerry Library archives.
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