Irish playwright, novelist and short story writer (1909?1998)
Bryan MacMahon
|
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Born
| 29 September 1909
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Died
| 12 February 1998
(1998-02-12)
(aged 88)
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Occupation
| writer
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Bryan Michael MacMahon
(29 September 1909 – 13 February 1998)
[1]
[2]
was an
Irish
playwright
,
novelist
and
short story
writer
from
Listowel
,
County Kerry
. A schoolteacher by training, his works include
The Lion Tamer, Patsy-o and his Wonderful Pets
and
The Red Petticoat
. He wrote an autobiography,
The Master
, and his works include an English translation of
Peig
, the
Irish-language
autobiography of
Peig Sayers
.
Early life and education
[
edit
]
MacMahon was born on 29 September 1909 to parents Patrick and Joanna MacMahon, in
Listowel
,
County Kerry
.
[2]
[3]
He was one of four children, his father was a clerk in a law office, a butter-buyer and exporter, and his mother was a schoolteacher. His father was also a member of the
Gaelic League
.
[3]
He had a traditional country up-bringing, which he illustrated in the first chapters of
The Storyman
(1994).
[4]
He learned his love for the Irish language from his grandmother, who was a native Irish speaker. His grandfather was weighmaster in charge of the market and Bryan assisted him often.
[3]
He was educated in Scoil Realta na Maidine, Lios Tuathail, and then St Michael's College, Listowel,
[5]
where he was influenced by the writer Seamus Wilmot, who encouraged him in his passion for writing.
[3]
Like his mother, he also had a passion for teaching.
[6]
He attended
St. Patrick's Teacher Training College
in Drumcondra, County Dublin. After this, he taught in Donore Avenue, off South Circular Road in
Dublin
. Due to family pressures, he resigned his teaching post in Dublin in 1931 and returned to Listowel, where he lived for the remainder of his life.
[3]
[5]
He became principal teacher of Scoil Realta na Maidine and taught there for 44 years.
[7]
During the
Second World War
, MacMahon worked in factories in
England
. He wrote about this experience in his 'Plain People of England' column for
The Bell
magazine. He opened a book shop in his wife Kitty's name on the main street of Listowel.
[8]
Family
[
edit
]
MacMahon married his wife Kathleen "Kitty" Ryan in 1936.
[6]
Kathleen was born on 14 June 1911 in Cashel, County Tipperary, to parents James Ryan and Ellen Ryan (nee O’Connor).
[9]
[2]
MacMahon and Ryan were married in the Roman Catholic Church of Cashel on 4 November 1936.
[10]
[5]
They had five sons, including
Bryan
, a judge of the Irish High Court, and
Garry
, who played
Gaelic football
for the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1958 to 1962
[3]
and went on to practice law. One of his other sons, Owen, is a solicitor with PG MacMahon Solicitors.
[11]
Later life
[
edit
]
During his later years, MacMahon paid more attention to the media while continuing to publish. Together with
John B. Keane
as well as other Irish playwrights, he founded
Listowel Writers' Week
in 1970, an international literacy festival based in MacMahon's home town of
Listowel
. In 1989, MacMahon featured on
The Late Late Show
, with
Gay Byrne
.
[12]
[13]
MacMahon published his first autobiography,
The Master
, in 1992, which documented his career in teaching. The book went on to win the 1993
The
American Ireland Literary Award
.
MacMahon released a second autobiography in 1994,
The
Storyman
, which focused primarily on his career as a writer.
[6]
[14]
Throughout his career, MacMahon was awarded many accolades for his contributions to Irish literature including the
Kerryman of the Year
award in 1987. He also was awarded
American Ireland Fund Literary Award
1993 and the award of the degree of LID from the
National University of Ireland
in recognition of his work.
[14]
[15]
MacMahon was a member of the
Aosdana
.
[12]
[16]
MacMahon's final book, a collection of fictional conversations between men and women, is entitled
A Final Fling,
and was published in 1998.
[14]
[15]
MacMahon died on the 13 February 1998, in
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin
. After his death, his colleague
John B. Keane
said: "The streets have lost their star. He was a giant and a gentleman, and we were lucky to have had him for so long."
[17]
[18]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Gaughan, J. Anthony: "Listowel and its vicinity: Since 1873", pages 72-74. Currach Press, 2004
- ^
a
b
c
"Church records"
(PDF)
.
Irish Genealogy.ie
. Retrieved
15 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Hourican, Bridget (2009).
"MacMahon, Bryan Michael"
.
Dictionary of Irish Biography - Cambridge University Press
. Retrieved
24 November
2020
.
- ^
MacMahon, Bryan (1994).
The Storyman
. Ireland: Poolbeg Press Ltd.
ISBN
1853714674
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Bryan MacMahon man of Listowel"
.
Writers Week
. 4 April 2018
. Retrieved
26 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
Battersby, Eileen.
"Writing of Bryan MacMahon put social irony in sharp focus"
.
The Irish Times
. Retrieved
24 November
2020
.
- ^
"Bryan MacMahon"
.
Playography Ireland
. Retrieved
15 November
2020
.
- ^
Young, Rachael.
"Bryan MacMahon letters to Jack O'Reilly"
. Retrieved
17 November
2020
.
- ^
"Church records"
(PDF)
.
Irish Genealogy.ie
. Retrieved
17 November
2020
.
- ^
"Church records"
(PDF)
.
Irish Genealogy.ie
. Retrieved
17 November
2020
.
- ^
"About Us"
.
PG MacMahon Solicitors
. Retrieved
15 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Bryan Mac Mahon - Man of Listowel"
.
Listowel Writers' Week Literary Festival
. 4 April 2018
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
"Listowel Bryan McMahon 80 Late Late Show"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on 18 December 2021.
- ^
a
b
c
"Bryan MacMahon"
.
www.ricorso.net
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Bryan MacMahon, Listowel writer at Kerry Writers Museum"
.
Kerry Writers Museum
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
"Kerry writer with Clare roots"
.
The Clare Champion
. 29 September 2011
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
Dooley, Chris.
"Listowel poet and writer Bryan MacMahon dies at 88"
.
The Irish Times
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
- ^
"MCMAHON, Bryan (1909?1998)"
.
ainm.ie
(in Irish)
. Retrieved
18 November
2020
.
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