William Hackett, SJ

William Hackett, SJ I Clongowes 1890-1895

William Hackett, SJ (1878-1954), Republican and Catholic activist, was a native of Kilkenny, who attended Clongowes in 1890-5. He entered the Jesuits on leaving school and was ordained in 1912. His philosophy training was in France and Holland. He taught at Clongowes and at Crescent College Limerick. Memberhip of the Gaelic League brought him into touch with leading republicans, such as Pádraic Pearse and Thomas MacDonagh. He also became friendly with protestant nationalists, including Stephen Gwynn, the Bartons of County Wicklow and their cousin, Erskine Childers. At Crescent he developed school debating and formed the Crescent Cadets, a training body for youths prepared to fight for Ireland. During the Troubles, he worked for the release of prisoners and organised visits by English Quakers and American journalists to view the results of Black-and-Tan atrocities. A search of his bedroom by government agents failed to find a rifle hidden up the chimney. He was transferred to Dublin to edit the Jesuit magazine The Messenger of the Sacred Heart. He remained in active touch with the republican leadership, including Michael Collins, but took the anti-treaty side in the civil war. Probably as a consequence, he was sent to Australia. There, he found a kindred republican spirit in Archbishop Daniel Mannix of Melbourne, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. He worked in a Jesuit-run parish, founded the Catholic Central Library and mentored the Campion Society of young Catholic intellectuals. He was a controversial rector of Xavier College. A friend of three Australian prime ministers, including Robert Menzies, he was also active in Catholic Action, an organisation opposed to the spread of Marxist ideology in Australia. His biography The Riddle of Father Hackett, by Brenda Niall, was published by the National Library of Australia in 2009. He was a brother of the writer Francis Hackett.