Sir, – The news of the death of RB McDowell (Home News, August 31st) recalled many pleasant occasions when I had contact with him as a customer.
During my early training in the restaurant business, in Jammets in Nassau Street (December 1951-55), Mr McDowell was a frequent customer. The senior staff always referred to him as “Professor” McDowell, seemingly on the basis that any established lecturer in Trinity College must be a professor, part of the deference then given to that esteemed institute; and I do not recall him attempting to correct anyone on this title. He was indeed a very noticeable individual in the manner of his dress style and often eccentric behaviour, but always a gentleman to deal with.
Later, when I was working in the Gresham Hotel (November 1955-70), a frequent resident was the successful writer Cecil Woodham-Smith (author of The Great Hunger and The Reason Why,among others).
Installed in a penthouse suite for weeks at a time (we were told she came over to complete her work in hand), Ms Woodham-Smith would frequently entertain Prof McDowell for lunch in the Gresham Grill Room, he presumably advising her on aspects of her historical research.
Seated at a table in a quiet corner, Ms Woodham-Smith would have the professor on one side and her secretary on the other side, making notes from time to time. Presumably answering an interesting question, Prof McDowell might burst forth with a torrent of words, often waving his hands around. Eventually there might be a complete lull in the conversation and after a while it would be realised he had fallen asleep. Later, he was likely to burst back to life, continuing where he had left off.
At a time when Brendan Behan, Patrick Kavanagh, Brian Ó Nualláin and others were around (or still remembered) as “characters” of Dublin, RB McDowell was a similarly well-noted personality of our fair city. – Yours, etc,