Jonathan Bardon OBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 2020 (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Historian, educator |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Notable works | A History of Ulster |
Jonathan Eric Bardon OBE (born in Dublin, 1941 – died in Belfast, 21 April 2020), was an Irish historian and author.
Early life
Bardon was born in Dublin in 1941 and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1963.[1] Shortly thereafter, in 1964, he moved to Belfast to begin his teaching career at Orangefield Boys Secondary School.[2] While in Belfast, he enrolled at Queens University, Belfast, where he received a Diploma in Education, also in 1964.[1] Living in Northern Ireland as a young man during the beginning of the Troubles, he credits two things that piqued his fascination with it, while remaining nonpolitical: his early teaching experiences educating young boys, both Catholic and Protestant, in Belfast; and a five feature commission he received from the now-defunct Sunday Times to write about and research the Battle of the Somme.[3]
Career
Bardon is best known for his critically acclaimed text, A History of Ulster. The book examines, in detail, the cultural, social, economic, and political arenas of the province, beginning with the early settlements and progressing linearly to present-day Ulster.
He has also written numerous radio and television programmes on the subject of Northern Ireland. Most recently he was commissioned by BBC Radio to create a two hundred and forty-episode series entitled A Short History of Ireland. The final episode aired on 18 March 2007.[4]
In 2002, Bardon received an OBE for "services to community life".[5]
Bardon died in Belfast on 21 April 2020, having contracted COVID-19. He already had underlying health issues, including lung cancer.[6]
Bibliography
- A History of Ulster. Blackstaff Press, 1992.
- Belfast: A Century. Blackstaff Press, 1999.
- Belfast: An Illustrated History. Blackstaff Press, 1982.
- Belfast: 1000 Years. Blackstaff Press, 1985.
- Beyond the Studio: A History of BBC Northern Ireland. Blackstaff Press, 2000.
- Dublin: One Thousand Years of Wood Quay. Blackstaff Press, 1988. (co-authored with Stephen Conlin).
- The Plantation Of Ulster. Gill and Macmillan, 2011.
- A Narrow Sea: The Irish-Scottish Connection in 120 Episodes. Gill Books, 2018.
References
- ^ a b BBC Northern Ireland
- ^ Queens University, Belfast Faculty Biography of Dr. Jonathan Bardon Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Bardon, Jonthan. If Hell is any worse...?
- ^ BBC Radio Ulster. A Short History of Ulster.
- ^ New honour for Sir Ronnie. BBC News. 15 June 2002.
- ^ https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/uk-news/top-ulster-historian-jonathan-bardon-dies-covid-19-he-also-had-other-serious-illness-2545612