Douglas Hyde (or Dubhghlas de hÍde, born January 17, 1860, died July 12, 1949) was the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945. He founded the Gaelic League, one of the most influential cultural organisations in Ireland. He promoted use of the Irish language, using the Irish spelling of his name and the pseudonym "An Craoibhin Aoibhinn"