Seán P. Ó Ríordáin

Seán Pádraig Ó Ríordáin MRIA (17 December 1904 – 11 April 1957) was an Irish archaeologist who specialised primarily in the study of the prehistory and early medieval history of Ireland. He was one of the preeminent Irish archaeologists of the early 20th century, and was noted for his excavations at Lough Gur, County Limerick, and for his innovations in archaeological fieldwork. He served as Professor of Archaeology at University College Cork from 1936 until 1943, then as Professor of Celtic Archaeology at University College Dublin from 1943 until his death in 1957. As a professor, he influenced a generation of Irish archaeologists, notably Michael J. O'Kelly and Rúaidhrí de Valera.