John Devitt,who has died aged 66, was a former head of the English Department at the Mater Dei Institute of Education, Dublin. He previously taught at Glenstal and St Joseph's CBS, Fairview. A dedicated cineaste, he taught film studies at TCD and UCD, and was generous in sharing his deep knowledge of Irish theatre.
Peter Fallon, in the afterword of The Georgics of Virgil, refers to John Devitt as his "bloody marvellous" master at Glenstal. Teacher and columnist Breda O'Brien, a former student of Mater Dei, wrote in April: "In an era where teachers often feel battered and a bit war weary, he is an inspiration." This was on the occasion of the publication of The Irish Reader: Essays for John Devitt. Contributors include Terence Brown, Seamus Heaney, Richard Kearney and Declan Kiberd, indicating the wide range of his interests as a scholar and educator.
Born in 1941, he was one of the three children of Jack Devitt and his wife Eliza (née Etherington) of David Road, Drumcondra.
His father, a member of An Garda Síochána, was stationed at Fitzgibbon Street for most of his career.
He was educated by the Christian Brothers at O'Connell's Schools, and graduated from UCD with a degree in English and Classics.
He first considered becoming a teacher while still at school, "partly because I was thrilled, electrified, penetrated by certain poems and plays". He was also influenced by one of his many teachers, Brother Laffan, who "infected" him with enthusiasm for the profession.
Appointed to the staff of Glenstal in 1963, he asked what he should teach his pupils. "Oh, teach them whatever you want - we appointed you," was the reply. "Now don't bore them too much." On his first day in a classroom he taught Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard. The pupils' response was positive, confirming his sense of vocation.
He strongly believed in preparation, but was aware of the need for good delivery. He saw teaching as a performative art that could be very draining. But good teaching, he believed, also made demands on pupils.
His view was that the prescribed syllabus for exam classes diminished teachers' freedom. However, he argued that if teachers continued to aim high and challenge students, then the better students would take the exams in their stride.
He was dismayed by some recent developments in education, and was appalled by concepts like "estimated learning time". Similarly, he disliked the habit of describing literature in thematic terms - for example, King Learin a course on male authoritarian figures.
Theatre was a life-long passion and he regarded the Abbey's Long Day's Journey into Night, directed by Frank Dermody in the late 1950s, as the best production he ever saw. Recalling the ensemble playing, he described it as "something really special".
On the Waterfront was the film that as a 14-year-old opened his eyes to the possibilities of the medium. Prompted to see it by the refusal of a critic to review it because of its alleged violence he found a "delicately nuanced, beautifully played . . . love story".
He joined the Junior Irish Film Society where he learned much from older enthusiasts like Seán O'Brien, Alf MacLochlainn and Liam O'Leary. In later life he met O'Leary in Dublin after the showing of a new print of Battleship Potemkin.
"Didn't I tell you that the great works of art in the 20th century were Eisenstein's Potemkin and Joyce's Ulysses?" O'Leary said, resuming a conversation that had been interrupted 25 years earlier.
More recently, his knowledge of Irish cinema frequently informed the Irish Film Institute's programming of archival material. A regular lecturer in courses run by the institute, he was witty, entertaining and discerning - critical of poor work but always eager to find the underlying beauty and merit in any production.
Cricket was his favourite sport and in his early teens he often went to Headingley to watch Test and county matches. Travelling alone on the cattle boat from the North Wall, he was collected at Liverpool by a relative.
As a young man he was a useful fast bowler, playing for Clontarf cricket club, and while at Glenstal he was selected for Munster. A back injury ended his playing career.
But he continued his interest as a spectator and in due course his family joined him at Headingley. Living in Malahide, however, his sons opted for sailing, and he gave them every possible support and encouragement. Hurling was another interest.
He wrote film reviews for several national newspapers, while also reviewing books on film for RTÉ radio. With Anne O'Donoghue he edited a three-volume anthology for the use of Junior Certificate pupils, Bronze by Gold, a worthy successor to the earlier collections of Carey and Kennedy. And his essay Unlocking the Word-hoard in the Leaving Certificate textbook Making It New is regarded as one of the best introductions to Seamus Heaney's work.
He retired from Mater Dei in 2006. Predeceased by his first wife Anne, who died in childbirth, he is survived by his second wife Irene, daughter Anne and sons Jonathan and Jerome.
John Devitt: born February 2nd, 1941; died June 6th, 2007