Theodore William Moody (1907–84): an appreciation

Abstract

Professor T W Moody, whose scholarly career was linked so closely to the history and fortunes of this journal, died in Dublin on 11 February 1984, in his seventy-seventh year. One of his former students, now a contributor to the New History of Ireland, remembers a conversation with him only a few days before, and tells of Theo’s lively consideration of plans and projects, of his mind, crystal clear as ever.Grieved and shocked as his family, friends and colleagues are at his sudden going, they will surely find solace in this memory of full activity and vitality so close to the end. Theo was spared the suffering of long illness, inactivity, and the dependence that these entail, which would have been a hard trial for his active spirit. Indeed, affirmation is a word that comes to mind in remembering his life as a man and a scholar It is reflected in his devotion to his family, in his concern for the work and careers of his students, in his care and never-ceasing responsibility for the projects he had been involved in founding or originating, the two most notable examples being Irish Historical Studies and A New History of Ireland, and in his assistance and kindness to foreign scholars who came to work in Dublin.