Sheelagh Harbison (2 September 1914 14 October 2012), was an Irish medieval historian.
Biography
Harbison was born Sheelagh Helen MacSherry on 2 September 1914 in Letterkenny, County Donegal, to bank manager Frederick William MacSherry and his wife, Helen MacDermott. She was the third child in a family of four. Her younger brother Stephen was severely disabled. Harbison spent a lot of time with her mother's sister, "Aunt Gertie", as her brother's care took all his mother's attention. Gertrude married Dr John MacNamara and moved to
Birkdale
Birkdale is an area of Southport, within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, though historically in Lancashire, in the north-west of England. The area is located on the Irish Sea coast, approximately a mile away from the centre of S ...
, Lancashire, when she was twelve. Holidays at that time were with her father's brother, Henry MacSherry, in
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the l ...
where she learned to play tennis.
Harbison worked in an office after finishing a secretarial course. When she married Kildare (and later Dublin) medical officer Dr James Austin Harbison, they settled in
Sutton, Dublin
Sutton ( ga, Cill Fhionntain – Fintan's cell or church) is a residential suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It occupies the tombolo which links Howth Head to the mainland, some of the lower slopes of Howth Hill, and a little of ...
. They had two children,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Seco ...
and
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
. In 1967, Harbison inherited Inchiquin House from her aunt in Corofin, but the following year her husband died. Harbison went to college as a mature student, undertaking a degree at
Trinity College Dublin
, name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin
, motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin)
, motto_lang = la
, motto_English = It will last i ...
. Due to her lack of Latin, she initially took on a pass degree but with her ability, the university offered her a history and political science BA moderatorship but she was required to learn Latin. Harbison studied with Professor Annette Jocelyn Otway-Ruthven. She wrote her dissertation on
Geoffrey de Geneville
Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville (c. 1226 – 21 October 1314) also known as Geoffrey de Joinville, was an Anglo-French noble, supporter of Henry III, who appointed him Baron of Trim, County Meath, and, subsequently, a staunch supporte ...
under the supervision of Professor James Lydon.
Harbison earned her degree in 1972 and went on to complete a masters which was written on ''William of Windsor in Ireland, 1369–76'', and graduated in 1977. Later, she worked as a research assistant for
William Edward Vaughan
William Edward Vaughan is an Irish historian and emeritus fellow of Trinity College Dublin who studies the Land War
The Land War ( ga, Cogadh na Talún) was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland (then wholly part of the United Kingd ...
as she worked on a doctorate. Harbison remained in Trinity, known as "Mrs H", tutoring in medieval history and was elected to Trinity Common Room as an honorary member. While at Trinity, she wrote a number of articles on Irish history including about
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and
Rindoon
Rindoon () is an abandoned village located in County Roscommon, Ireland.
Location
Rindoon is located on a headland reaching into Lough Ree, 4 km east of Lecarrow.
History and archaeology
Rindoon was built in the first half of the 13th ce ...
castle as well as on Irish swords. Other topics were based on her research on William of Windsor. Harbison died on 14 October 2012, aged 98, in Beaumont Hospital, County Dublin.