author
Sir Michael McDonnell
1882–1956
Best known as a judge and public servant, he also wrote lively, argumentative books on Irish politics and school history. His work reflects a life spent moving between law, empire, and some of the biggest political questions of his time.
1 Audiobook
Ireland and the Home Rule Movement
by Sir Michael McDonnell
About the author
Born in London in 1882 to an Irish Catholic family, Sir Michael Francis Joseph McDonnell studied at St Paul's School and St John's College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he was active in debate and supported Irish Home Rule and women's suffrage before being called to the Bar at the Inner Temple.
As a writer, he published Ireland and the Home Rule Movement in 1908 and later wrote a history of St Paul's School. He went on to join the Colonial Service in 1911, serving in West Africa before becoming Chief Justice of Palestine from 1927 to 1936. He also edited volumes of The Law Reports of Palestine, linking his literary work closely with his legal career.
After leaving Palestine, McDonnell continued to write on public affairs, including The Arab Case: The McMahon Correspondence. He died in 1956, and his reputation today rests on an unusual combination of legal authority, political conviction, and a clear willingness to put controversial arguments into print.