Father Leonard Eugene Boyle (November 13, 1923 – October 25, 1999) was a Canadian scholar in medieval studies and palaeography and was first North American Prefect of the Vatican Library in Rome from 1984 to 1997. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Palaeography (British) or paleography (American) (from the Greek palaiós, old and graphein, to write) is the study of ancient and medieval manuscripts, independent of the language (Koine Greek, Classical Latin, Medieval Latin, Old English, etc. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The Vatican Library (Latin: Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana) is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC (mythical), early 1st millennium BC (archaeological) Region Latium Area  - City Proper  1285 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,553,873 almost 4,300,000 1. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Born in Ballintra, County Donegal, Ireland. Boyle spent some years in Tralee folowing the tragic death in 1940 of his older brother John> The latter was a member of the police (Garda Siochana) and drowned while on holiday in Ballybunion in North Kerry. Co. Kerry after 1940 and acted as Boyle's father following the death of his mother. He was educated in Gaelic and entered the Dominican Order in 1943. He was ordained a priest in 1949. He frequently visited Tralee where he has close family connection and he was involved in many projects in the town. His immense knowledge and expertise in historical and archaeological issues was freely given in order to enhance the town. Of particular concern was his hope that the site of the original Dominican Abbey at the centre of the town be conserved for future archaeological excavation. After moving to Toronto, he taught at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, and at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto from 1961 to 1984. Ballintra (Baile an tSratha in Irish) is a village the parish of Drumholm in South Donegal, Ireland just off the N15 between Donegal town and Ballyshannon. ... Donegal (Dún na nGall in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... County Kerry (Irish: Ciarraí) is a county in the southwest of Ireland, in the Munster province of the Republic of Ireland, the county is informally referred to as The Kingdom. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Irish (Gaeilge), a Goidelic language spoken in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, is constitutionally recognized as the first official language of the Republic of Ireland. ... Laudare, Benedicere, Praedicare Saint Dominic saw the need for a new type of organization to address the needs of his time, one that would bring the dedication and systematic education of the older monastic orders to bear on the religious problems of the burgeoning population of cities, but with more... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... On the campus of the University of St. ... The University of Toronto (U of T), in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest university in Canada. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1984 he was appointed Prefect of the Vatican Library by Pope John Paul II. This appointment took Boyle by surprise but would appear to have been a recognition of his immense scholarship, expertise in antiquity and renowned interest in learning as a whole. In an effort to modernise the Vatican Library, Father Boyle, set about the digitalization of the library's many thousands of manuscripts that dated from hundreds of years BC which would lead to their greater availability to scholars the world over. Boyle also extended the opening hours of the library and employed women for the first time as part of his staff. In 1987, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means, Desiring a better country. ...

Known for his wit and independence of mind and spirit, Boyle was once asked of his interest in being a Cardinal given the fact that all of his predecessors went on the be Cardinals. His reply was in the negative saying 'nothing but the papacy' would do him.

Father Leonard Boyle was buried in his beloved San Clemente in 2000 a year after his death following official desire to give him the honour of interrment in the vaults of San Clemente - one of Rome's holiest and most historical shrines.