Deirdre McMAHON

My sincere condolences to Dr.Mc Mahon's family and friends. I was priviledged that she was one of my lecturers in Mary I back in the 90s. May she rest in peace

To all who, like me, loved Deirdre's company: we share a sorrow at the loss of her wit, her vast and nuanced knowledge, her zest for life.

Sincere sympathy to Ross and family, to sisters and friends on the very sad passing of your beloved Deirdre RIP...

I am sorry to know that Deirdre has left us. Our paths crossed two decades back arising from our shared interest in Indo-Irish relations. A lovely woman and an erudite and gifted historian. We are the poorer without her. My condolences to her family, friends and colleagues. Sleep well Deirdre.

My sympathy and condolences to Deirdre's family, friends and colleagues; her death leaves a sorry gap in the realm of Irish history scholarship, teaching, as a superb interrogator and author.
We spent some years together as members of Coimisiún Lámhscríbhinní na hÉireann/IMC.
Is trua liom bhur mbris.
Máire Mac Conghail

My deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Deirdre. I attended Mary Immaculate College and was very fortunate to have had Deirdre as a lecturer. May she rest in peace.

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Deirdre. May her gentle soul rest in peace.

My deepest condolences to all the McMahon family on the sad passing of my dearest cousin Deirdre. She has left such an amazing collection of historical memories.
May she rest in Peace
Fond memories of staying with all her family in Eden Park years gone

My deepest sympathy...
Niamh

Deepest sympathies to all the McMahon family on Deirdre's death. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

Deirdre was a good and generous friend, with a wonderfully 'wicked sense of humour,' as many people have noted. Her scholarship was brilliant and enlightening, and her prose was elegant. For me as for many others, her encouragement was an enormous help. Travelling around Ireland with her was a delight, as was visiting her in Dublin. I wish I could tell her how much I'll miss her.

My deepest condolences to Deirdre's family. She had sharp wit and didn't suffer fools. She will have the full story of Solohead ambush. A loss to all who knew her. RIP

This is truly sad news to hear of the passing of Deirdre. She was such an inspiration and fountain of knowledge for me and kept me on the right path to achieve what i always wanted. Deirdre also gave me the opportunity to experiencing lecturing one of her modules when she was unable to. An amazing and steadfast woman. She will be deeply missed!

Comhghleacaí tiomanta dúinn ab ea Deirdre, gurbh é ár bpríbléid bheith i bpáirt léi le blianta suntasacha ar fhoireann agus i bpobal acadúil MIC - suaimhneas síoraí dá h-anam éirimiúil muinteartha - Slán abhaile, 'Dheirdre!

I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of my old history lecturer. Deirdre always kept students on their toes and didn’t suffer fools lightly but behind it all she was a big softy with a sharp sense of humour. She was a brilliant teacher and historian and i wish to express my deepest condolences to her family and friends. Rest in peace.

Deirdre was a wonderful historian and a lovely woman. Republicans and Imperialists remains a masterpiece. Beautiful prose, archival brilliance and nuanced understanding of the main players. My sympathy to her family and friends.

I was lucky to count Deirdre as a friend for over fifty years and never ceased to be amazed by the breadth of her learning and interests and her courage and resilience in later years. Her enthusiasm for music and art and sceptical observation of political life were a delight. I will miss her generosity and wit and her company. My deepest sympathy to Ross and all her family on their loss.

A great historian and a great friend. We’ll miss you, Deirdre.

I was so fortunate to have met Deirdre through the History Department, Mary Immaculate College and as a result to have so many wonderful memories of being in her entertaining company. Throughout these two decades I never ceased to be amazed by Deirdre’s capacity for knowledge, her sharpness of mind and wit, the variety of her interests and her discerning appreciation of the arts. I continue to be inspired by those special memories and by Deirdre’s extraordinary resilience.

Déanaim comhbhrón le Ross agus clann Deirdre, a cairde, agus a comhghleacaithe san earnáil acadúla agus sna h-institiúdí ceartlainne.

My condolences to the McMahon family on Deirdre’s passing. I first met her some 50 years ago at an IHSA conference, an organisation which she always championed as she did the scholarship of younger scholars. The eloquence and perceptiveness of her own work on twentieth century Ireland will also stand as part of her legacy as she rests in peace
Maurice Bric

Sincere condolences to Deirdre's family. We bonded over our mutual love of India and its history. I will miss her generosity of spirit and wicked sense of humour and have fond memories of chatting for hours over crepes in Faffie's near the NAI over the years. May she rest in peace.

Deepest sympathies to Deirdre’s family on her sad passing. She will be very much missed by the history community. She was a wonderful supporter of the IHSA for many years and encouraged many young historians to continue with their scholarship. May she rest in peace.

Sincere sympathies to all the Mc Mahon family on Deirdre's death. Se will be missed by all of you.

My deepest Condolence to Deirdres family and friends,you will be trully missed

I was greatly saddened by the news of Deirdre’s death. A very exceptional presence has gone from the company of Irish historians. A first class mind - sharp, critical, enquiring, independent. Utterly dedicated to historical scholarship, through her own distinguished research and publications, and through her generous and challenging encouragement of others. Great company, enlivened by a wicked sense of the comedy of academic ambition and intrigue.
Go lonnraí solas na síoraíochta ar a hanam gléigeal.

My deepest sympathies to Deirdre's family and friends. Rest in Peace.

On behalf of the Committee of the Irish History Students’ Association (IHSA), we wish to extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to all of Deirdre’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Deirdre was, and will always remain, the reason the IHSA continues to exist. For 25 years as Chair, she guided the Association with exceptional dedication, wisdom, and generosity. She offered steadfast support to every student who engaged with the IHSA, shaping not only the organisation but the countless individuals who passed through it.
Her passion for history was infectious, but even more striking was her unwavering commitment to students and to fostering meaningful engagement with the discipline. She believed deeply in the value of student scholarship and worked tirelessly to encourage and uplift generations of undergraduate and postgraduate historians.

Her legacy will live on in the Association she sustained and in the many students whose confidence, curiosity, and careers she helped to nurture. She will be remembered with immense gratitude and respect.

Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley (on behalf of the IHSA)

Deirdre was a brilliant historian with an unrivalled knowledge of twentieth century ireland. Her analysis of De Valera’s policies in relation to further disengagement from Britain remains a classic.
She knew the archives in so many areas like nobody else and shared her knowledge with generosity and wit.
My condolences to her family especially her brother Ross and his family of whom she spoke so fondly.

Many people loved Deirdre for her wit, integrity , humour , scepticism and fantastic company.
She was a complex talented and fascinating woman, a brilliant historian and a pioneer woman of her generation. She was also an inspiring and kind teacher.

She should be remembered publicly and her importance should be recognised.

Margaret O’Callaghan and James McGeachie
Beulah McGeachie

Deepest sympathy to Ross,Siobhan,Dorren and all the family at this time of parting . Wonderful company and a superb historian, Deirdre will be greatly missed.Thinking of you all at this time .

I had the privilege of working alongside Deirdre in MIC for nearly twenty years. We were in different departments but spent many years on the IFUT Branch Committee together, to which she selflessly gave many years of service as Chair. She was witty, wise, forthcoming her in praise, honest in her criticism and staunch in her solidarity. Deepest condolences to her family and friends on her very sad loss.

Our heartfelt sympathy to Deirdre's brother Ross, sisters Siobhán and Dorren and their families on her death. May her beautiful soul rest in peace.

Deirdre and I were friends and neighbours for many years, meeting first in UCD Archives and ending up living on opposite sides of Meath Street. We were regulars at Met Live and Royal Opera House screenings in the Light House (always ice cream during the interval), treated each other to dinner at Spitalfields (starting with an espresso martini), met for coffee at the weekends (which she enjoyed giving me in a King Charles III coronation mug). She finally convinced me to try oysters, and got me hooked on online art auctions (which involved late night emails flying back and forth across Meath Street to make sure we weren't bidding for the same piece). She loved music, opera, ballet, art, and crément. We had great fun together. She was kind, generous, supportive and very witty. I will miss her. My condolences to her beloved family and her many friends.

My enduring memory of Deirdre is the epic road trip we made to Belgium in February 2004, accompanied by Margaret O'Callaghan, Jim and their daughter Beulah. Also with us was the late and much lamented Frank Callanan who called our team the 'expeditionary force'. We had two objectives: first, to visit the Africa Museum at Tervuren on the outskirts of Brussels; second, was our drive to the war cemetery where Maurice Moynihan was buried. We found the grave in the snow and Deirdre cried quietly. A few months later, her volume was published with the letters between the young Moynihan brothers. Deirdre had an extraordinary instinct about history. May she rest in peace.

Our condolences to all of Deirdre's family. We have known her for over 30 years since we were students. She was always very supportive and her work has influenced many.

Deirdre was a wonderful friend and supervisor. She got everything just right. Sincere condolences to her family and friends.

Deirdre was a great friend for many years. Her book Republicans and Imperialists is one of the great books of modern Irish history, based on her PhD under Nicholas Mansergh in Cambridge. She had a talent for friendship, was a wonderful networker and was unrivalled in her knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the academic world. Her death had deeply saddened me.

Deirdre was a dear friend over many years, from our first meeting as tutors in UCD through jaunts to Glyndebourne, Wexford and assorted exhibitions and stately homes. Her erudition was a delight, but so too were her zest for life, her generosity of spirit, and her tart observations in countless email exchanges on history and the human condition, while her gallantry in recent years in negotiating adversity was an inspiration. I will miss her wit, her wisdom and her friendship enormously. Rest easy Deirdre.

My sympathies to Deirdre’s family and many friends. She was a great scholar, generous in sharing her deep and wide knowledge of Irish and British history and the archives. I will miss her as a D8 neighbour, and especially her very irreverent sense of humour.

I was sorry to hear of Deirdre's passing. I always enjoyed our collegial chats. Deepest sympathies to her family and friends. May she rest in peace.

Deirdre was a great historian and a wonderful colleague. We will miss her deeply, and offer our heartfelt condolences to her family.
All best wishes,
Alistair Malcolm on behalf of the School of History & Geography at the University of Limerick

Deepest sympathies to the McMahon family on her loss. She was a great lecturer and a kind person to all her students. May she rest in peace.

Martha

With deepest sympathy to Ross, Siobhán and Dorren as well as Kateryna, Dima and Killian on Deirdre's passing - May she Rest in Peace.
Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.

Deirdre was a wonderful lecturer, mentor, and in time, colleague. I am especially grateful that she acted as my internal examiner for my PhD. Over the years, we had many entertaining lunches in Carluccio's. I will miss her dearly. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.

My Deepest Sympathy to the Family of the late Deirdre McMahon. My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this very sad time. May her Gentle Soul Rest In Peace

Sincere sympathies to Deirdre"s family on her passing from this world. She was a real scholar and a lovely colleague. May she rest in peace. I will offer Mass for her.

Sincere sympathy to Deirdre's extended family. Suaimhneas síoraí di.

Deepest sympathies to Deirdre's family and friends. Rest in Peace.

Deirdre has been on every part of my journey as a historian, a wonderful mentor and friend since we first met as student and lecturer in DCU Oscail in 2000. She has filled this role for so many. When Ian d'Alton and I were producing Protestant and Irish, we could not do other than dedicate it to her, as a small token for her encouragement. She has also been a major supporter of the Irish History Students Association, and encouraged us to hold one of the annual conferences in Carlow College. Generous, supportive, learned, and oh, sometimes so side splittingly funny. A gap that simply cannot be filled.