Jonathan Eric Bardon OBE (born in Dublin, 1941 – died in Belfast, 21 April 2020), was an Irish historian and author.

Jonathan Bardon

OBE
Born1941
Dublin, Ireland
Died21 April 2020 (aged 78)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
OccupationHistorian, educator
Alma materThe Queen's University of Belfast
Notable worksA History of Ulster

Early life

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Bardon was born in Dublin in 1941 and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin (TCD), in 1963.[1] Shortly thereafter, in 1964, he moved to Belfast to begin his teaching career at Orangefield Boys Secondary School.[2] While in Belfast, he enrolled at Queens University, Belfast, where he received a Diploma in Education, also in 1964.[1] Living in Northern Ireland as a young man during the beginning of the Troubles, he credits two things that piqued his fascination with it, while remaining nonpolitical: his early teaching experiences educating young boys, both Catholic and Protestant, in Belfast; and a five feature commission he received from the now-defunct Sunday Times to write about and research the Battle of the Somme.[3]

Career

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Bardon is best known for his critically acclaimed text, A History of Ulster. The book examines, in detail, the cultural, social, economic, and political arenas of the province, beginning with the early settlements and progressing linearly to present-day Ulster.

He has also written numerous radio and television programmes on the subject of Northern Ireland. Most recently he was commissioned by BBC Radio to create a two hundred and forty-episode series entitled A Short History of Ireland. The final episode aired on 18 March 2007.[4]

In 2002, Bardon was appointed an OBE for "services to community life".[5]

Bardon died in Belfast on 21 April 2020, at the age of 78, having contracted COVID-19. He already had underlying health issues, including lung cancer.[6]

Bibliography

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  • A History of Ulster. Blackstaff Press, 1992.
  • A History of Ireland in 250 Episodes. 2008.
  • Belfast: A Century. Blackstaff Press, 1999.
  • Belfast: An Illustrated History. Blackstaff Press, 1982.
  • Belfast: 1000 Years. Blackstaff Press, 1985.
  • Beyond the Studio: A History of BBC Northern Ireland. Blackstaff Press, 2000.
  • Dublin: One Thousand Years of Wood Quay. Blackstaff Press, 1988. (co-authored with Stephen Conlin).
  • The Plantation Of Ulster. Gill and Macmillan, 2011.
  • Hallelujah - The Story of a Musical Genius and the City That Brought his Masterpiece to Life. Gill and Macmillan, 2015.
  • A Narrow Sea: The Irish-Scottish Connection in 120 Episodes. Gill Books, 2018.

References

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  1. ^ a b "BBC Northern Ireland". Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  2. ^ "School of History | Dr Jonathan Bardon". qub.ac.uk. 3 April 2007. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ Bardon, Jonthan. If Hell is any worse...? Archived 23 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Radio Ulster - A Short History of Ulster". BBC. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. ^ "New honour for Sir Ronnie". BBC News. 15 June 2002. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Top Ulster historian Jonathan Bardon dies with Covid-19". newsletter.co.uk. 21 April 2020.