Emmet J. Larkin was born in New York, May 19, 1927. His mother was Irish and though his father was born in Chicago his family returned to Galway and he fought for Irish independence. Larkin graduated from Seward Park High School, served as a corporal in the United States Army (1945-1946), and attended New York University (B.A. 1950). He received his Master of Arts degree in history from Columbia University in 1951 and PhD from the same institution in 1957. While at Columbia, Larkin taught evening courses at Brooklyn College and spent a year at the London School of Economics on a Fulbright scholarship.

Larkin's dissertation was expanded into his first book, James Larkin, Irish labor Leader, 1876-1947. Larkin taught at Brooklyn College for three years. In 1960 he was appointed Assistant Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he taught courses in European, British, and Irish history. While at MIT, Larkin organized Irish cultural programs and became acquainted with his Irish Studies mentor, John V. Kelleher of Harvard University. He also met Diane Willey whom he married in 1966 and they had two daughters, Heather and Siobhan.

In 1966 Larkin moved to the University of Chicago, as an Associate Professor. He taught courses and seminars in British and Irish history and engaged research, writing, and other professorial work. Larkin's research for a history of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland began in 1958 with visits to archives in Rome, London, and Dublin. Larkin pursued research on the parish movement and devotional revolution in Ireland (1850-1880) and other related subjects for over forty years, receiving many grants for travel, research, and publication.

Larkin was one of the founders of the American Committee for Irish Studies, which was closely connected to the American Historical Association. It was formally established in 1962, and in 1987 changed its name to the American Conference for Irish Studies. At various times Larkin served as treasurer, member of the executive committee, editor of the Reprint Series, vice president, and president of the ACIS. He presented papers at many conferences. Larkin was also active in other organizations, including the Labor Seminar at Columbia University, the Mid-West Conference on British Studies, and the Illinois Humanities Council. He was an editor or editorial advisor for several scholarly journals and served as an advisor for television programs on Irish history.

Larkin received honors including: a Government of Ireland Cabinet Citation (1981), an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland (1987), and a festschrift, Piety and Power in Ireland, 1760-1960: Essays in Honour of Emmet Larkin (2000). Over the course of his career, Larkin wrote or edited thirteen books, including: The Roman Catholic Church and the Creation of the Modern Irish State, 1878-1888; The Historical Dimensions of Irish Catholicism; and The Pastoral Role of the Roman Catholic Church in Pre-Famine Ireland, 1750-1850.

Larkin retired from the University of Chicago in 2006. He died March 19, 2012 at the age of 84.

Sources:

Brown, Stewart J., and David W. Miller, eds. Piety and Power in Ireland, 1760-1960: Essays in Honour of Emmet Larkin. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2000.

Harms, William. "Emmet Larkin, prominent scholar of Irish history, 1927-2012." UChicago News (2012 March 27). https://news.uchicago.edu/article/2012/03/27/emmet-larkin-prominent-scholar-irish-history-1927-2012

Larkin, Emmet. “Archival Odyssey.” New Hibernia Review, 1, no. 2 (Summer 1997).

Larkin, Emmet. “The Parish Mission Movement, 1850-1880." In Christianity in Ireland: Revisiting the Story, edited by Brendan Bradshaw and Daire Keogh. Dublin: Columba Press, 2002.