Robert Yelverton Tyrrell | |
|---|---|
 As drawn by Walter C. Mills of the London Daily Graphic in 1893 | |
| Born | 21 January 1844 Ballingarry, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | 19 September 1914 (aged 70) Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Occupation | Classical scholar |
| Spouse |
Ada Shaw (m. 1874) |
| Relatives |
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| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Trinity College Dublin |
| Notable students | |
| Influenced | Oliver St John Gogarty |
| Regius Professor of Greek, University of Dublin | |
| In office 1880–1898 | |
| Preceded by | John Kells Ingram |
| Succeeded by | J. B. Bury |
Robert Yelverton Tyrrell FBA (/ˈtɪɹ.əl/ TIRR-əl; 21 January 1844 – 19 September 1914) was an Irish classical scholar who was Regius Professor of Greek at Trinity College Dublin. He was a prominent figure in the "Dublin School" of classical scholarship, responsible for Trinity's advancement in prestige in that subject from the late 1860s, known particularly for his seven-volume edition (largely made with his former student, Louis Claude Purser) of the letters of the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero.
Born in Ballingarry, County Tipperary, Tyrrell was the son of a Church of Ireland curate, who died five years after Tyrrell's birth. His mother, Elizabeth, moved the family to Dublin, where Tyrrell was educated by his elder brothers and, briefly, at a local private school. He displayed an early talent for classical studies, particularly the composition of Greek and Latin verse, and entered Trinity College Dublin at the unusually young age of sixteen. He was a distinguished student, graduating in 1864 and attaining a fellowship in 1868.
Tyrrell became Professor of Latin in 1871 and, in 1880, Regius Professor of Greek. He played a leading role in the establishment of the literary journal Hermathena as well as the college miscellany Kottabos, which collected humorous writings, often in Latin and Greek. After stepping down as Regius Professor in 1898, he became the college's Public Orator in 1899 and Professor of Ancient History in 1900. He was appointed as one of the founding fellows of the British Academy in 1901.
Several of Tyrrell's students went on to become influential in scholarship and the arts, including J. B. Bury, Francis Ysidro Edgeworth and William Ridgeway. He also taught Oscar Wilde, and supported him after Wilde was incarcerated for homosexual activity in 1895. As an academic, he promoted the detailed study of literary texts over that of historical and archaeological material, and was credited with a prominent role in improving the reputation and quality of classical studies at Trinity. He suffered from ill-health, brought on by an attack of thrombosis, from 1899, and died in 1914 at his home near Dublin.