Proinsias Mac Cana was born in Belfast on 6 July 1926 to George McCann and his wife Mary Catherine, née Mallon; his Catholic parents were supporters of Irish nationalism.
After a year at the Sorbonne, he completed a Master of Arts degree at Queen's, where he was appointed an assistant lecturer in 1951.
In 1955, he moved to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, as an assistant lecturer in Early Irish.
He broadened and deepened the understanding of the links between the languages, cultures and traditions of the Celtic peoples of Ireland and Britain.
"[1] Mac Cana published widely and in retirement worked to restore the Collège des Irlandais in Paris.