Owen Sheehy Skeffington was a Trinity graduate, lecturer and Senator. The only son of Francis Skeffington, a noted political activist and pacifist, and Hannah Sheehy, a pioneering figure in the struggle for women rights, Owen would go on to be one of the most outspoken defenders of liberal rights in Ireland in the 1950s and 1960s. On the subjects of censorship, clericalism, corporal punishment, institutional abuse, apartheid, women's rights and the rights of minorities generally,

Sheehy Skeffington was a fearless defender of individual rights in the face of unrelenting official hostility and opposition. His lifelong immersion in the language and culture of France would provide him throughout his life with a critical vantage point on a society for which he deeply cared. The Trinity Monday Discourse will aim to shed light on the often forgotten achievements of this early crusader for civil liberties and point to the enduring influence of modern languages on his personal formation and political outlook.

Graphic with the words Languages 250 at Trinity (1776-2026).
This event forms part of the 'Languages 250 at Trinity (1776-2026)' programme, throughout 2026, the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies is marking the 250th anniversary of the establishment of Modern Languages in Trinity College Dublin.