Thomas Osborne Davis (1814-45), born at Mallow, County Cork, made a profound impres sion on his own and succeeding generations of Irishmen. He joined. Sir Charles Gavan Duffy and John Blake Dillon in founding the Nation newspaper in 1842, and in the short interval that elapsed before his death he came to be recog nized as the national poet par excellence, and the real leader of the Young Ireland party. Some of his pieces, like 'My Land,' (Fonte noy,' and 'The Penal Days,' became instantly popular, and have remained so. The Nation became the focus of literary Ireland, and at tracted a brilliant galaxy of writers of prose and verse. Among the latter may be named Hugh Harkin (1791-1854) ; Edward N. Shan non (c. 1795-1860); William Drennan, Junior (1802-73) and his brother John Swanwick Drennan (1809-93) ; Maurice O'Connell (c. 1802-53) and John O'Connell (1811-58), sons of the James Clarence Mangan (1803-49) ; John De Jean Frazer (c. 1804-52) ; John Cornelius O'Callaghan (1805433) ; Edward Walsh (1805-50) ; Michael Doheny (1805-63) ; John Keegan (1809 49) ; Arthur Gerald Geohegan (1810-89) ; Francis Davis, °The Belfast Man° (1810-85) ; John Fisher Murray (1811-65) • Terence Mc Mahon Hughes (1812-49) ; Rev. John Kenyon (1812-69) • Rev. Charles Patrick Meehan (1812 90) ; John Thomas Campion (1814-94) ; William Dowe (c. 1815-1891) ; Kevin T. Buggy (1817 43) ; Michael Joseph Barry (1817-89) ; Denis Florence McCarthy (1817-82) ; Denny Lane (1818-95) ; Maurice Richard Leyne (c. 1820 54) ; Ralph Varian (c. 1820— c. 1886); Rev. Michael Toomey (1820-1893); William Pem broke Mulchinock (1820-64) ; Richard Dalton Williams (1821 or 1822-62) ; John O'Hagan (1822-90); John Edward Pigot (1822-71) ; Mar tin McDermott (1823-1905) ; Bartholomew Dowling (c. 1823-63) ; John Kelly Ingram (1823-1907) ; Thomas Darin Reilly (1824-54) ; Michael Joseph McCann ('c. 1824-83) ; Thomas D'Arcy McGee (182,5-68); Richard Oulahan (c. 1825-95) ; Mary Anne Kelly [°Eva))], afterward Mrs. Kevin Izod O'Doherty (c. 1825-1910) Jane Francesca Elgee ["Speranza], afterward Lady Wilde (c. 1826-96), mother of the cele brated Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) ; Ellen Down ing [°Mary")] (1828-69); Joseph Brenan (1828- 57) ; John Cashel Hoey ; John Charles Fitzgerald (fl. 1842); John Coen (fl. 1842) ; M. J. O'Keeffe (fl. 184 ) ; J. S. O'Sullivan (fl. 1843) ; and Thomas Dillon (d. 1852).
James Clarence Mangan (1803-49), born at Dublin, was the greatest of the poets of the Young Ireland party and one of the greatest Anglo-Irish poets. He translated from many languages. His 'Dark Rosaleen) and 'Twenty Golden Years Ago' are very well known, but many others of his lyrics are just as well de serving of mention. Denis Florence McCarthy (1817-82), born at Dublin and professor of English literature for many years at the Catho lic University there, translated into pure and beautiful English verse the dramas of Calderon, and was awarded the medal of the Royal Acad. emy of Spain. Besides, he wrote may original poems, such as 'The Bell-Founder, 'The Bridal of the Year,' 'The Pillar-Towers of Ireland,' and 'The Voyage of Saint Brendan,' all char acterized by beautiful imagery, fluency, and mel ody. Thomas Caulfield Irwin (18292), born at Warrenpoint, County Down, has been called °The Irish Keats? He was a voluminous writer, and brought out e*ht books of verse between 1856 and 1889. He also wrote prose sketches, a poetic drama, entitled and Ermia,> and 'From Caesar to Christ,' an old world romance, as well as translating Catullus and doing an enormous amount of magazine work. William Allingham (1824-89), born at Ballyshannon, County Donegal, one of the best of the Irish poets, entered the customs service as a youth. In 1864 he received a Civil List pension for literary services. Subsequently he became editor of Frase?s Magazine. Between 1850 and 1889 be published 15 volumes of poetry, some of it of great excellence. John Todhunter (1839-1916), born at Dublin, professor of Eng lish literature at Alexandra College in that city, is justly ranked high among modern poets. His published volumes are numerous, including lyrics, dramatic poems, a dramatic sketch, a pas toral play, and a dramatic cantata. His 'Helena of Troas) was produced on the stage with great éclat in 1886. He also wrote comedies, includ ing 'The Black as well as 'A Study of Shelley' and a 'Life of Patrick Sarsfield.' Edmund John Armstrong (1841-65) was a poet whose brilliant early promise was cut short by his untimely death. His brother, George Fran cis Savage-Armstrong (1845-1906), wasprofes sor of history and English literature at Queen's College, Cork. He was a noted poet, and pub lished many volumes of verse. His repqtation was so great that he was freely suggested for the Poet-Laureateship on the death of Tenny son. Edward Dowden (1843-1913), professor of English literature at Dublin University, wrote some poems, but he is better kuown as a biographer and critic. His 'Life of Shelley' and (Shakspere : His Mind and Art' are stand ard works. John Keegan Casey (1846-70), well known as °Leo° of the later Nation and other papers, was imprisoned in 1867 for his par ticipation in the Fenian movement. He died in his 24th year, and it is said that 50,000 persons attended his funeral. His 'Rising of the Moon) is a stirring ((rebel)) poem. His love-poems, like og (Maire, my Girl,' and Colleen Rue,) approach those of Burns.
The Irish historians and biographers of the 19th century are headed by Rev. John Lanigan
(1758-1828), whose learned 'Ecclesiastical His tory of Ireland,) published in four volumes in 1822, is an enduring monument to his fame. Sir William Napier (1785-1860), himself a soldier, wrote a valuable 'History of the War in the Rev. James Wills (1790-1868) was author of 'The Irish Nation, its History and as well as of many poems. Richard Robert Madden (1798-1866) contrib uted greatly to the elucidation of historical, bio graphical, and literary details by his 'Lives of the United Irishmen,) 'Life of Lady Blessing ton,) (History of the Penal Laws,' 'History of Irish Periodical Literature,) and 'Literary Re mains of the United Irishmen.' He also wrote much verse. John Cornelius O'Callaghan (1805-83) wrote Irish at Home and 'History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France,) and 'The Irish in the Eng lish Army and Navy.' He was also author of 'The Green Book,) in prose and verse. 'The Cromwellian Settlement of Ireland,' by John P. Prendergast (1808-1893), is a work of great research. John Mitchel (1815-75), in his 'Jail Journal,' (The Last Conquest of Ireland (Per haps),) and the 'Apology for the British Gov ernment in Ireland,) has made a clever but bit ter arraignment of English maladministration in his native country. Sir Charles Gavan Duffy (1816-1903), who was one of the leaders of the Young Ireland movement and afterward rose to a position of eminence in Australia, left mono graphs, valuable because of his first-hand knowledge, on 'Young and Years of Irish He also wrote a 'Life of Thomas Some of his poems are still quite popular. Very Rev. Canon John O'Hanlon (1821-1905), scholar and hagiologist, was author of 'The Lives of the Irish Over the signature of aLageniensisp he pub fished some volumes of verse. Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-68) was a very remarkable man, equally renowned as statesman, orator, historian, and poet. He took an active part in the Young Ireland movement, but his attitude toward the Fenian rising of 1867 brought about his assassi nation. He wrote numerous historical works, the chief of which are 'Irish writers of the Sev enteenth Century,' 'History of Ireland,' (His tory of the Irish Settlers in America,' and 'Life of Art He also wrote a great deal of verse. Patrick Weston Joyce (1827 1914), an indefatigable toiler, produced several valuable including and History of Irish Names of Places,' 'A Short History of Ireland,) and 'Social History of Ancient Ire William John Fitzpatrick (1830-95), in 'The Life and Times of Dr. Doyle' and other biographies, rendered highly useful service. Another writer of interesting biographies was Joseph Fitzgerald Molloy (1859-1908). The greatest of modern Irish historians is undoubt edly William Edward Hartpole Lecky (1838 1903). His 'Leaders of Public Opinion in Ire land) and his 'History of England during the Eighteenth Century' (which includes five sepa rate volumes on Ireland) are in a class by themselves. His 'History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne' is a standard work. Richard Barry O'Brien (1847-1918) wrote Lives of C. S. Parnell, Lord Russell of Killowen, and Thomas Drummond. His 'Fifty Years of Concessions so Ireland' and other his torical works show a painstaking investigation of the vexed -relations between Great Britain and Ireland. Other historical writers are Wil liam Cooke Taylor (1800-49) ; Martin Haverty (1809-87), 'History of Ireland' ; Rev. Charles Patrick Meehan (1812-90), 'Fate and Fortunes of Tyrone and • and Alexander Martin Sullivan (1830-84), 'The Story of Ire land' and 'New Ireland.' Eminent archaeolo gists were George Petrie (1789-1866) ; Rev. lames Henthorn Todd (1805-69) ; and Sir John homas Gilbert (1829-98).
The principal essayists were James Fintan Lalor (d. 1849), whose theories on the private ownership of land, contributed to the Nation and the Irish Felon, were afterward given a wide circulation in the writings of Henry George; Rev.Joseph Farrell (1841-85), author of the delightful of a Certain Profes sor;) and Frances May Synge, afterward Mrs. James Owen (1842-83), whose posthumously published book, 'Essays and Poems,' contains papers on Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Browning, and other poets. The two great wits and schol ars wore William Maginn (1793-1842) and Rev. Francis Sylvester Mahony, ((Father Prow,* (1804-66). Maginn was for several years one of the regular contributors to Blackt000d's Magazine, and later became editor of Fraser's Magazine. It was he who conceived the idea of the 'Noctes Ambrosiana) and wrote much of it. His parodies, stories, essays, reviews. etc., were collected and published as 'The Maxims of Sir Morgan O'Doherty> and Papers — Pictures Grave and He also wrote Ballads) and several novels. Mahony was a priest who abandoned his sacer dotal functions and became a journalist. He wrote for many magazines, such as Frase?s, Bentley's Miscellany, and the Cornhill. His works are contained in 'Reliques of Father Prout> and 'Final Reliques of Father Prout.) Other later writers are dealt with in the arti cle on the IRISH LITERARY REVIVAL.
Bibliography.— O'Donoghue, D. J., 'The Geographical Distribution of Irish Ability' (Dublin 1906) and 'The Poets of Ireland' (ib., 1912) ; Brown, S. J., 'Ireland in Fiction) (Dub lin 1912) ; Dunn, J., and Lennox, P. J., Glories of Ireland) (Washington 1914).