Derek Birley
Sir Derek Sydney Birley (31 May 1926 – 14 May 2002) was a distinguished English educationalist and a prize-winning writer on the social history of sport, particularly cricket.
Life and career
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Born in a mining community in
On his return to England, he was awarded an ex-serviceman's scholarship to Queens' College, Cambridge, to read English. In 1951, he was joint winner with J. G. Ballard of a short story competition held by Varsity, the Cambridge student newspaper.
After university he joined the teaching staff of
When he retired in 1991, he had overseen two decades of massive increases in provision of higher education in Northern Ireland, and equity of representation for Catholic and women students. He was knighted for services to education. His other passion was the social history of sport. In 1979, he wrote The Willow Wand, 'a strikingly original and robustly demythologising book, criticising the pastoral nostalgia of the genre'.[1]
This was voted by a distinguished poll in
Marriage
He married Professor Norma Reid in 1990. He had two sons from a previous marriage.[1]
Books
- The Education Officer and His World. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1970.
- An Equal Chance: Equalities and Inequalities of Educational Opportunity (with Anne Dufton). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. New edition, London: Routledge, 2017.
- Planning and Education. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
- Opportunities at Sixteen. Belfast: HMSO, 1978.
- The Willow Wand: Some Cricket Myths Explored. London: Queen Anne Press, 1979. New edition, London: Aurum, 2000.
- Sport and the Making of Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993.
- Land of Sport and Glory: Sport and British Society, 1887–1910. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
- Playing the Game: Sport and British Society, 1914–1945. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995.
- A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum, 1999.
References
- ^ a b c McCloy, Don (14 June 2002). "Sir Derek Birley". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ McKee, Ross (2 July 2010). "Poll-topping cricket author was NI university boss". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
External links
- Death Of Sir Derek Birley, University of Ulster News Release
- University of Ulster Opens £6.5m Sir Derek Birley Learning Resource Centre, 11 October 2002, News Release
- The Guardian 19/04/09, obit., J. G. Ballard – 'The other winner was DS Birley – later to become Sir Derek Birley, eminent educationalist and author of some classic cricket books.’
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