On behalf of the Economics Department in Maynooth University.
We are greatly saddened by the news that our colleague in Maynooth’s Economics Department, Donal O’Neill, has died after a short illness. He was just 56.
Donal was a first-rate economist and published in many top journals, including the Journal of Political Economy, the Economic Journal, the Journal of Labor Economics and the Journal of Human Resources. He was an excellent, innovative teacher and a wonderful colleague. Donal’s main research fields were labour economics and inequality, but he also had a considerable interest in econometric methodology, which fed into his applied research. Among his many contributions to the Irish economics community, he served as president of the Irish Economic Association from 2014-16 and as an enthusiastic member of the inaugural Irish Low Wage Commission.
All of his work was marked by a real love of Economics – he never stopped being fascinated by the insights Economics offered, or by its potential as a force for good. Donal was also a very decent and kind person. He will be very sadly missed.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends, particularly with his wife, Olive Sweetman, also a member of Maynooth’s Economics Department.
One reply on “Prof. Donal O’Neill R.I.P”
The passing of Donal O’Neill is a profound loss to the field of economics and to all who had the privilege of knowing him. His contributions to labor economics and inequality research, as well as his commitment to advancing econometric methodology, have left a lasting impact. Beyond his professional achievements, his kindness and enthusiasm for the subject were truly inspiring. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.