Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon facts for kids

Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon (born 1842, died 1900) was an Irish writer. She wrote several novels, which are long stories, and her most famous book was Dark Rosaleen.

Her Early Life and Family

Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon was born in 1842 in a town called Nenagh in County Tipperary, Ireland. Her parents were John and Mary Anne O'Shea. Her father, John, was a journalist, which means he wrote for newspapers. Her mother, Mary Anne, had a brother named Peter E. Gill who was an editor and owner of a newspaper called the Tipperary Advocate. Peter was also the uncle of T. P. Gill, another important person.

Elizabeth had several talented brothers and sisters. Her older brother, John Augustus O'Shea, was a soldier, a journalist, and wrote novels. Her sister, Marion O'Shea Roosevelt, moved to the United States and married Robert Roosevelt. Another sister, Margaret, was very good at languages and translated books from French. Her brother, Robert Gabriel, reported on politics from London for a newspaper called the Freeman's Journal.

Her Books and Stories

Elizabeth wrote many novels. One of her books, Sal o' the Wig, was published in parts, like a TV show, in a newspaper called the Shamrock in 1869.

Her most important book, Dark Rosaleen, came out in 1884. It was a special kind of novel called a roman à clef. This means it told a story using made-up characters, but these characters were actually based on real people. For example, a character named Rev. John Kennedy in the book was based on John Kenyon. Kenyon was a close family friend of Elizabeth's family. Dark Rosaleen was also published in parts in a newspaper called United Ireland, which was owned by William O'Brien. Her book Sal o' the Wig also used stories about Father Kenyon, especially tales about his housekeeper, Sara Kennedy.

Later Life

In 1883, Elizabeth married Frederick William Dillon. He had a law degree, which is called a BL. After they got married, they moved from Ireland to live in Nagpur, India. Frederick's father, Luke Dillon, was an important official at the high court in Allahabad, India. Elizabeth O'Shea Dillon passed away in 1900.

Her Published Works

• The bride of Raltard
• The last of the leprechauns
• Sal o' the Wig
• Dark Rosaleen (1884)