Born William Joseph Gabriel Doyle in 1873, the future priest had a comfortable, middle-class childhood in the affluent Dublin suburb of Dalkey.
He was sent to a Catholic boarding school in England, but returned to Ireland as a teenager, where by the age of 18 he had begun studying to be a Jesuit priest.
He was in his early 40s when he was sent to the Front as a WW1 chaplain.
Even though it was a non-combatant role, Kenny points out that the commander of the 16th (Irish) Division, Maj-Gen Sir William Bernard Hickie, described Fr Doyle as “the bravest man that he ever met”.
He added that Fr Doyle was a prolific letter writer whose personal correspondence has become an important eyewitness source for historians.
“If you look at any book about the Irish in the First World War, almost invariable Fr Willie Doyle is in that book.
“Because of the sheer volume of letters that he sent home, we know a lot about what the Irish soldiers experienced.”
Kenny added that Fr Doyle was held in great esteem by his own men, but was also noted for his kindness and mercy towards injured German prisoners-of-war.
