Dr Patrick (Paddy) Henchy, who died in Dublin on May 6th, the day after his 88th birthday, enriched Irish cultural life. He was successively director of the National Library of Ireland and of the Chester Beatty Library, and one of the founders of the Merriman Summer School.
A gentleman of the old school, he was urbane and scholarly, always ready to give a word of advice or encouragement. He supported struggling writers and artists, including Patrick Kavanagh. He had a strong friendship with Edward MacLysaght, the eminent genealogist and fellow Clare man.
He was at ease in any society. A colleague recalls a courtesy visit to Clonbrock, one of the great country houses of Galway, when the Dillon-Mahons were donating their family papers to the National Library. On leaving, Dr Henchy opened the boot of his car, took out a brace of trout caught the previous evening in Co Clare where he was attending the Merriman school, and presented them to Mrs Dillon-Mahon.
He was born in Corofin, Co Clare, on May 5th, 1913, a son of Patrick Henchy and Margaret (nee O'Grady). He was educated at St Mary's College, Galway, and later graduated from UCG with a first-class honours degree in history and Irish (1935), and an HDipEd (1936).
He taught in St Flannan's College, Ennis, and St Eunan's College, Letterkenny, but on hearing of a vacancy in the National Library knew that was what he wanted to do. He was appointed assistant librarian in 1941. As the director, Richard James Hayes, was attached parttime to the Department of Defence during the war years because of his skill as codebreaker and engaged subsequently in compiling Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation, much of the administration of the library fell to Patrick Henchy. He became Keeper of Printed Books in 1949.
He married Monica Leahy, a librarian in Trinity College, three years later. They had three children: Mary, Deirdre and Monica, who died in a hill-walking accident, aged 25.
On succeeding Dr Hayes in 1967, he embarked on a policy of expansion. This resulted in the acquisition by the Government of the Kildare Street Club premises to house the library's Manuscript Department and the Genealogical Office. Anticipating the library's future needs, he pressed for the acquisition of the former National College of Art building which, now redeveloped, will be handed over to the library shortly.
To mark his retirement from the National Library, The Irish Times published a leading article saying he had "carried on a gallant fight, aided by a loyal and inadequate staff, against insuperable odds". He was bringing "a lifetime's experience" to the Chester Beatty Library.
Later in 1976, he talked to The Irish Times about what had been achieved during his directorship. He was proud of the K.W. Humphreys report (1971), which made a series of recommendations on the future of the library. It advocated staff training and dividing the library into departments. "It was partly due to its suggestions that the extensions were found to be essential." He was proud also of the National Library Society, formed in 1969.
He was conferred with the degree of LL D, honoris causa, by the National University in 1971. He served as director of the Chester Beatty Library until 1983. He was chairman of An Chomhairle Leabharlanna for several years.
His paper on Jasper Robert Joly, whose donation formed the nucleus of the National Library, is the standard history of this collection. He described Joly as "the greatest book collector that this country has ever known". Among library readers that he became friendly with was Richard Ellmann, the biographer of James Joyce. Much of the information about Joyce's youth came from his research and contacts. Another friend was Paddy Kavanagh, some of whose manuscripts he bought for the library in the late 1940s. He recalled asking Kavanagh if he had any original manuscripts of his work. "First he told me, in his gruff old way, that the mice had eaten them all down in Mucker but finally he brought me in a small bundle of papers. The figure mentioned as payment was £80, but though he had written The Great Hunger at the time the manuscript of it wasn't among the papers.
"So I sat Paddy down with a stiff-backed copy book and made him write out a fair copy of the long poem, which he did and then the deal was made. After it all, he brought me down to Molesworth Street and bought me a glass of stout. I thought this very good of him and told him so, and his response was that I had been quite decent myself. But after a few moments of thought, he said it would probably turn out in the end that I was only being a cute hoor."
Dr Henchy knew the manuscripts would be of great value some day, but his motive in buying them was partly a way of putting badly-needed money in Kavanagh's pocket.
Asked when leaving the library, if allowed to take one book with him what he would choose, he replied: Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, first published in 1653. "It's a poetic sort of book and one that I can open at any paragraph and get something new from it each time." Paddy Henchy will have little difficulty getting past St Peter.
He is survived by his wife, Monica; daughters, Mary and Deirdre; and brother, Judge Seamus Henchy.
Dr Patrick Henchy: born 1913; died, May 2001