Pat Donlon, first female director of a national institution in Ireland, dies aged 83

The first female director of a national institution in Ireland, Patricia Donlon, has died at the age of 83.

Donlon, known as Pat, served as the first female director of the National Library of Ireland (NLI) from 1989 to 1997 and was the first female director of a national institution in Ireland.

The librarian and academic was born on January 28th, 1943, and grew up in the Liberties in Dublin.

She married Phelim Donlon, who died in 2014, in the early 60s. She met him at her sister’s wedding where she was a bridesmaid and Phelim was the groom’s best man. Together, they lived in Blackrock and had two daughters, Lorna Donlon and Sinéad Kelly. He worked as a drama officer in the Arts Council.

After getting married, she had to give up her job in RTÉ where she worked as a researcher.