James Clarence Mangan was born in Dublin on May 1st, 1803. He was the son of a former hedge-school teacher who later became a grocer. Mangan was educated at a Jesuit school where he learned the rudiments of Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian, but when his father became bankrupt he was obliged to leave school […]
Conor O’Callaghan was born in Newry, Co Down, in 1968. His collections are The History of Rain (Oldcastle, Co Meath, The Gallery Press, 1993); Seatown (Gallery, 1999); Fiction (The Gallery Press, 2005); and The Sun King (The Gallery Press, 2013). His first book was shortlisted for The Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and won […]
Matthew Sweeney was born in Co Donegal in 1952. His poetry collections include A Dream of Maps (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1981); A Round House (London, Alison & Busby/ Raven, 1983); The Lame Waltzer (Allison & Busby,1985); Blue Shoes (Secker & Warburg,1989); Cacti (Secker & Warburg 1989); The Bridal Suite (London, Jonathan Cape, 1997); A […]
John Millington Synge was born in 1871 in Rathfarnham, Dublin. He studied music in Germany and lived in Paris, where he wrote literary criticism, and where he met WB Yeats, who famously persuaded him to live in the Aran Islands before returning to Dublin. He spent five summers there, and perfected his Irish. He also […]
