William A. Byrne (William Dara) 1872–1933 was an Irish poet and educator from Rathangan, Co.
[1] He often wrote under the pen name William Dara.
He was educated at Carlow College as a lay student from 1885 to 1889, and went to Maynooth College to study for the priesthood, where he was invited to write an ode on the college's centenary; however, he left priestly formation due to ill health.
After Maynooth he became a teacher in St Kieran's College, Kilkenny,[2] and in St. Mary's Knockbeg College, Carlow, where he was Professor of English.
[3] In 1916 became assistant professor of English at University College Dublin succeeding the executed Irish patriot Thomas MacDonagh and went on to be professor of English Literature at University College Galway.