John Charles McQuaid

John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp., was a Roman Catholic priest and prelate who served as Archbishop of Dublin from 1940 until his resignation in 1972. Born in Cootehill, County Cavan, he was educated at Blackrock College and Clongowes Wood College before entering the Congregation of the Holy Spirit at Kimmage in 1913. He graduated from University College Dublin with first-class honours in Ancient Classics and was awarded a doctorate in theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. Ordained in 1924, he went on to serve as dean of studies and later president of Blackrock College from 1925 to 1939, during which time he established a close friendship with Éamon de Valera and played a significant, if contested, role in the drafting of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937.