Kathleen O'Flaherty (26 December 1916 – 21 July 1994) was an Irish scholar, academic and writer on French literature based in University College Cork.
After finishing secondary school O'Flaherty spent a year at the Université Catholique de Lille before going on to University College Cork where she graduated in 1938 with a BA in English and French.
Though she then achieved the travelling studentship from the National University of Ireland, O'Flaherty was unable to use it due to the outbreak of World War II.
She also wrote a number of books in these first few years, including Voltaire: myth and reality (1945) and Paul Claudel and ‘The tidings brought to Mary’ (1948).
In 1945 O'Flaherty took up a position as assistant editor of Cork University Press working closely with her mentor Alfred O'Rahilly who was president of UCC.