Complex sentence: A member of a distinguished scholarly and literary family, Gwynn was research professor of modern Irish history at UCC (1947--63) and had strong links with the spheres of journalism and publishing in Britain and Ireland.
Split into simpler sentences: A member of a distinguished scholarly and literary family, Gwynn was research professor of modern Irish history at UCC (1947 63). He had strong links with the spheres of journalism and publishing in Britain and Ireland.