Thomas Dillon (15 January 1884 – 11 December 1971) was an Irish chemist and nationalist.
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Early life and education
Thomas Patrick Dillon was born in Enniscrone, County Sligo on 15 January 1884. His parents were Elizabeth (née Sullivan) and John Dillon, an engineer. His maternal grandfather was William Kirby Sullivan, and his paternal great uncle was John Blake Dillon. He was the eldest of five children, with 4 younger sisters. When his father was tasked with building the waterworks of Ballina, County Mayo, the family moved to the town. Dillon attended St Nathy's, Ballaghadereen, and later Clongowes Wood College. He won a scholarship to study medicine at Queen's College, Cork when he was 16. Having initially undertaken the mandatory preliminary course in arts, Dillon decided to study chemistry and physics, receiving his BA in 1904. He then entered the Royal College of Science, Dublin, being awarded an MA in chemistry in 1908.
Dillon was appointed assistant to professor of chemistry, Hugh Ryan, at the Catholic University school of medicine on a salary of £6 a month. He supplemented this by teaching science at the Catholic University School and Loreto Convent School, Dalkey. After the establishment of the National University of Ireland (NUI) in 1908, he transferred to University College Dublin (UCD) with Ryan. Dillon was awarded the first D.Sc. conferred by the NUI in 1912.