Estyn Evans was brought up on the Welsh border, was educated at Aberystwyth University, and became a lecturer in Geography at Queen's University, Belfast, in 1928. In 1966 the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen's University was founded, and he became Honorary Director. He was particularly interested in the Irish Neolithic. He established scientific archaeology in Belfast and instituted the systematic survey of historic monuments, becoming chairman of the Ancient Monuments Council and helping to found the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. His research encompassed folklore, myth, legend and the oral tradition, especially in north Antrim and Donegal. His books include Irish Heritage, 1942; Mourne Country, 1951; Irish Folk Ways, 1957; Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland, 1956; The Personality of Ireland, 1973, and an essay collection The Irishness of the Irish, 1985.

He was President of the Institute of British Geographers, and of both the Archaeology and Geography sections of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the recipient of a number of honorary doctorates, and of two awards, the Victorian Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Merit Award of the Association of American Geographers. His portrait by celebtrated Ulster artist Raymond Piper, is on display in the Great Hall, Queen's University, Belfast.

Born:	29 May 1905
Died:	12 August 1989