Desmond Clarke was an Irish librarian, historian, and writer. He was the author of short stories, biographies of various Irish personalities, including Arthur Dobbs, Thomas Prior, and Marie-Louise O’Murphy, history books, bibliographies and reviews, and editor of several books. From County Mayo he moved to Dublin with his family at an early age. Clarke was librarian of the Royal Dublin Society for nearly 50 years, chief librarian from 1944, and later president of the Library Association of Ireland. He was editor of An Leabharlann, the association’s journal, and secretary of the Irish PEN 1965-75. He retired to a small farm in County Mayo. The 60-page book Thomas Prior, 1681-1751, Founder of the Royal Dublin Society was published in 1951. Prior was an Irish lawyer, landowner, and author, who devoted himself to economic development among the Protestant community in Ireland.
Ireland