Tom Kettle - Early Life

Early Life

Thomas was raised in comfortable rural surroundings. Like his brothers he was educated at the Christian Brothers O'Connell School at Richmond Street, Dublin. He excelled at school. Then from 1894 went to the Jesuits at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare where he was mischievous, clever, quick-tempered and as “Tom”, known as a wit and a good debater. He enjoyed athletics, cricket and cycling and attained honours in English and French when leaving.

Entering University College Dublin in 1897, he was regarded as a charismatic student. Surrounded by ambitious and politically minded young men he quickly established himself as a leading student politician and a brilliant scholar. He was elected to the prestigious position of auditor of the Literary and Historical Society 1898-9. His friends and contemporaries at UCD included Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, Oliver St. John Gogarty and James Joyce.

Very much an actionist, he distributed pro-Boer leaflets during the early months of the South African Second Boer War, and protested against the Irish Literary Theatre’s production of W.B. Yeats’ The Countess Kathleen in 1899. Due to illness he interrupted his studies in 1900, his health lifelong fragile. He went abroad to renew his spirits by travelling on the continent, improving his German and French. Returning to Dublin he renewed his studies, and in 1902 took a BA in mental and moral science.