Prof. William Duncan LL.D., C.M.G.

Sincere condolences to Williams family and friends on their loss . RIP

We have just heard the sad new of Professor Duncan’s death. We were both lectured by William Duncan at different times in Trinity College. We remember him as a gentle, kindly and erudite man who imparted wisdom and learning. Our sincere condolences to his grieving family.

My deepest condolences to William’s family. It has been an honour to work with him at the HCCH. He will be remembered as a true humanitarian, an excellent jurist and good family man.

My deepest condolences to William's children and extended family.
William and I worked together on writing a family law textbook and also on various family law and child law reform issues when we both lived in Ireland so many years ago. He was such a pleasure to work with, so kind, generous, and compassionate. He never showed a temper or any ego. He created an atmosphere of trust and integrity. His family can be truly proud of such a gentleman. May he rest in peace.

I had the pleasure of working with William while based at the Mother and Baby Home Commission. He was wise, gentle and generous with his time and I learned a great deal. My condolences to his family.

I want to express my deepest sympathy to William's family, friends and many colleagues at Trinity, the Hague and beyond at this very sad time. William was such a generous and kind person, an inspirational mentor and a thoughtful and intelligent scholar. He broke new ground as an early professor of child law where he brought a compassionate approach and an international perspective to an emerging field of law, showing so many young scholars and students the way. We were so proud of his leadership in the Hague.

When I met him as a young PhD student visiting Trinity from Queen's University Belfast, William's generosity and interest made the world of difference to me, and he was such fun to be around.

I am truly grateful to have known and learned from him.

May he rest in peace.

We have known William and Ilana in the time they were living in Den Haag, we had some much fun togheter, what a incredible lovely people, William was always so interested in everything. What are we lucky that they have been part of our life, so greatful voor their kindness, love, knowledge.
We will miss them a lot.

I was deeply saddened to hear of William's passing. He was a truly kind and compassionate person, and I feel fortunate to have known and worked with him at the HCCH. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.

My condolences to Natalie and all the Duncan family.

I am very sorry not to be with you all today to give thanks for, remember and celebrate Uncle Will’s incredible life.
Such a kind, gentle, humble and incredibly intelligent man. I am very proud to call him my Uncle and my Godfather.
My sincere condolences to all my cousins and their families.
All my love,
Ben

A great gentleman and a scholar of international repute. My condolences to his family and other friends.

I am very sorry indeed to hear of Prof. Duncan's passing. My deepest condolences to his family, particularly to Liz, Heidi, Tim, Tanya and Natalie. Prof. Duncan was an exceptionally inspiring teacher and a very kind, wise, supportive, and patient supervisor. His scholarship and advocacy in the field of Family Law made an immensely important impact. My deepest sympathies to his family, friends and to the TCD School of Law community. May he rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to Natalie and all the Duncan family at this very sad time. My thoughts are with you all.

Sincere condolences to Heidi, Tim, Tanya, Natalie and family.

My deepest sympathy to all the family on the death of your gentle loving father. In his working life he made a wonderful contribution to creating awareness of the rights of children and the need for family supports. He has left a great legacy.

Deepest sympathy to Tanya, Natalie, Tim and all the family on the sad passing of your Dad, William.

Thinking of you all at this very sad time.

May he rest in peace.

We are sorry to hear of William's passing. He was tutor and lecturer to both of us in the 1970s albeit in different years. We have the fondest memories of him as a kind, compassionate, wise and learned man, an outstanding academic and an important servant of the law. May his good soul enjoy the rest and peace to which he is so richly entitled.

I also had the privilege of learning from Prof. Duncan in Trinity during the late 80s. At that time international adoption was emerging as an insufficiently regulated area. Not only did we learn family law from him, but he also taught us how to research and challenge issues that impacted significantly on peoples' lives. And did it all in such a gentle and encouraging manner. My condolences to his family.

William was an important voice for equality in Irish families, working to advise and support the fledgling work of Cherish in our quest to abolish illegitimacy in the 1970s. He advised the organisation over many years and both him and Ilana were involved in providing practical support as well. William's legal analysis and advocacy helped rid Ireland of the gross discrimination against children born outside marriage and we remember and thank him for that.
Best wishes, Karen Kiernan, CEO, One Family

Sincere condolences to Natalie and the Duncan family. You are in our thoughts at this very sad time.

Dear Heidi, Tim, Tanya, Natalie and families

I was so sorry to hear about your father and grand father. He was such a lovely gentle man. I have very warm memories of him, Ilana and Heidi when you stayed with us in Dublin.

I am so happy to hear that he has grandchildren to have cherished too. I hope before this sad time you have all been keeping well.

I know my bothers would like to send their best wishes too, and that Susie my sister has been in touch herself.

I plan to join the funeral by zoom as I am based in London

With fond thoughts of your dear father and mother too.

Much love

Nicky

William and Ilana lived at the top of our house when they first came to Dublin, and they remain part of my happy childhood memories.
Sending my deepest sympathy and love to Heidi, Tim, Tanya and Natalie.

Fondly recalled as a kind, urbane and witty intellectual. Whoever has his company now is blessed…

So sorry to hear of Professor Duncan's passing. I worked with him during the MB Commission and enjoyed chatting in his company and sharing his insights on law and life.

Rest in peace.

I was very sad to learn that William has gone. I owe him so much. He was a fantastically inspirational lecturer, colleague and mentor and his contribution to Irish Law and Society has been immense. Without him, we would have been longer in the dark times. I still miss Ilana whose name I gave my daughter so much did I admire them. My sincere condolences to all William’s family: he was much loved and respected. RIP a chara.

William was a warm, kind and generous teacher. His lectures, delivered softly and conveying true comprehension, brought me into areas which became my professional ground-stone. He was an insightful mentor and thoughtful advisor. My most sincere condolences to his family.

Remembering his support and kindness

I have great memories of engaging with William in TCD in the 1990s on many academic issues - he was full of wisdom and had great empathy for academics and students alike. May he rest in peace

An extraordinarily good man and a role model of sorts.
Love and commiserations to the Duncans.

I offer my sincere sympathy to William’s family on their loss. William was a wonderful colleague, always helpful and willing to provide wise advice. He made an enormous contribution to the Law Department and to Trinity.
May he rest in peace.
PJDrudy

Condolences to the family and friends of William and gratitude for his contribution to Trinity. Lucky to have been a student of his. Bridget Reilly

My sincere condolences to William’s family. I first met him when I was working on the Irish Government’s transposition of The Hague Convention on International Adoption. He was always kind and encouraging. Over my career, I “bumped” into him many times and he never forgot our interactions. Latterly, I contacted him to help with a piece of work, and he did not hesitate - actually saying to me - “I was wondering if I could help”. He was a true gentlemen, a scholar and a friend. Every time we met he spoke of his family. A wonderful, kind colleague. Comhbrón ó chroí. Liz

Sincere condolences to Heidi Tim Tany and Natalie - our childhood playmates. William was a lovely man, we hold fond memories of Ilana and himself and our family all around the table in Roundwood eating wonderful food and always laughter and fun. Gentle kind and warm, the special cup for the farmer in the field and the kittens running amok. I didn’t know William professionally but as a family friend of my parents in the 70’s and 80’s. They are treasured memories. Patricia Niall Conor and Julie join me with extending
Our deep condolences to you all. Best wishes. Alsie

Gecondoleerd met dit verlies, van een mooi mens. Met veel warmte denk ik terug aan de contacten met jullie vader en moeder. Wens jullie veel sterkte de komende tijd om dit gemis te verwerken. ik zal de afscheidsdienst hier thuis via internet volgen!
In gedachten bij jullie allen. Lieve groet ,Jaap.

My thoughts and prayers to all William’s family and friends. A gentleman and scholar beyond equal. We spent time together in the Law Reform Commission many years ago, and also when contributing to one of his legal texts. His Socratic approach to scholarship and his nurturing of students was truly inspiring. The world, legal and lay, has lost a Titan of human virtue, kindness, knowledge and social conscience. He will be sorely missed and impossible to replace.

I am very sorry to learn of William’s passing William was a lecturer of mine in Trinity between 1972 and 1976, in particular I was privileged to have him lecture me in Family Law He was also my tutor He was an excellent lecturer and as a tutor totally committed and supportive at all times My sincere sympathy to his family

Deepest condolences to Heidi, Tim, Tanya, Natalie and to all William’s extended family, friends and colleagues on your sad loss. It was a privilege to have known William as a lecturer, a colleague and friend. He was such a kind and generous man, to students and staff alike. I will always remember his thoughtfulness and courtesy to me, both as a student and later as a colleague in the Trinity Law School, where he went out of his way to be welcoming and collegiate with new staff. He and Ilana were always so hospitable to Trinity Law colleagues. William’s scholarship in the field of child and family law was internationally renowned, and he made an immense contribution to the development of children’s rights through his work in The Hague in particular. He will be greatly missed. Thinking of his family at this sad time and sending sincere sympathies and very best wishes, Ivana.

William, our lovely neighbour, we will never forget the good old times we had together.
Together with the whole family we spend so many greatfull moments, together with his lovely wife Ilana.
We will cherish all those moments, and we will live our life in the Duncan style as much as we can.
The door allways open, no matter what time, allways time for a tea, a good class whiskey, and a good chat.
We wish the family all the best, William will be missed , thankfull that he spend so much time with his children, grandchildren.
Take care, with love

My condolences to William's family. William was a very gentle gentleman. It was an honour to work with him as Register of The University of Dublin. Rest in Peace William.

In the 1980s I was involved with Cherish (now One Family) and always remember William's reasoned and wise support in our work on the Status of Children Bill and other travails, thank you. May he rest in peace and may those who loved William be comforted.

William was a prince among men and he will be greatly missed by those of us who were fortunate to have known him. Our heartfelt condolences to Heidi, Tim, Tanya and Natalie and extended family.

I wanted to let you know how much I treasured the year I spent caring for him, from May 2022 to May 2023. It was a time of immense personal growth for me, and I was honored to be able to help someone who dedicated his life to helping so many.
My heart goes out to all of you. He and Ilana will always be in my heart.

I wanted to let you know how much I treasured the year I spent caring for him, from May 2022 to May 2023. It was a time of immense personal growth for me, and I was honored to be able to help someone who, dedicated his life to helping so many.
My heart goes out to all of you. He and Ilana will always be in my heart.

Sincerest condolences to the Duncan family on the passing of William. My thoughts are with you all.

I was deeply saddened to learn of William’s passing. Although I joined the Permanent Bureau shortly before he did, I was, of course, much younger in both age and experience. His warmth, collegial generosity, calm and effective mentorship greatly helped me find my footing and grow in my role. I looked up to him from the very beginning and continued to do so throughout the time we worked together. It was a true privilege to benefit from his deep knowledge, his quiet diplomacy, and his profound humanity.

Over the years, I learnt a great deal from William – on substantive matters, on technical legal issues, and on how to navigate delicate diplomatic situations. Like him, I try to have an eye for detail – but I learnt from him not to split my infinitives, a rule I try respectfully to follow to this day and which constantly brings back fond memories of William.

William was a brilliant legal mind, a dedicated advocate, and an inspiring leader. His loss will be deeply felt by all who had the honour of knowing him.

My sincerest condolences to his family at this difficult time.

Professor Duncan lectured me in TCD 1988-1992. He was a member of the interview panel which gave me my first lecturing job in NUIG in 1994. I remember particularly his kindness in helping me deliver a course for the first time in 1994-1995. I am so sorry to know he is no longer with us.