George Otto Simms

George Otto Simms was born in Lifford, Co. Donegal, in 1910. He attended Trinity College, Dublin, and received a Ph.D. and D.D. from the same university. Ordained a priest of the Church of Ireland in 1936, he was Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1969 until his retirement in 1980. A noted scholar and historian, Dr Simms lectured and wrote extensively, particularly on The Book of Kells, on which he was internationally recognised as an expert. For almost 40 years he contributed a weekly religious feature to the Irish Times. The O'Brien Press has published three of his books for younger readers: Exploring the Book of Kells, Brendan the Navigator, and St Patrick: Ireland's Patron Saint.