Ethna Carbery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Johnston McManus (pseud. Ethna Carbery)
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| Born | Anna Bella Johnston 3 December 1864 Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland |
| Died | 2 April 1902 (aged 37) Donegal, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Period | Victorian era |
| Literary movement | Irish Literary Revival |
| Notable works | The Four Winds of Eirinn, In the Celtic Past |
| Spouse |
Seumas MacManus
(m. 1901) |
Ethna Carbery, whose real name was Anna Bella Johnston, was an Irish journalist, writer, and poet. She was born on December 3, 1864, and passed away on April 2, 1902. Ethna is famous for her poem Roddy McCorley and the Song of Ciabhán. A composer named Ivor Gurney even put the Song of Ciabhán to music!
In the late 1890s, in Belfast, Ethna worked with Alice Milligan to create a magazine called The Shan Van Vocht. This magazine was published every month and focused on Irish literature, history, and news. It became very popular in Ireland and among Irish people living in other countries. After Ethna married the poet Seumas MacManus in 1901, she started using the pen name Ethna Carbery. Her poems were gathered and published after she died.
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Ethna Carbery's Life Story
Anna Bella Johnston was born on December 3, 1864. Her family lived in a small area called Kirkinriola, near Ballymena in County Antrim, Ireland. Her father, Robert Johnston, was a timber merchant, which means he sold wood. He was also an important member of a group called the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which worked for Irish independence. Her mother, Marjorie Magee, came from County Donegal.
Her Father's Influence
Ethna's father, Robert, was born in 1839. He grew up listening to stories from people who had fought for Irish freedom in the past, like the Society of United Irishmen during the Battle of Antrim. He also knew members of the Young Ireland movement from the 1840s. Robert himself was involved in the Fenian Rising in 1867, which was another effort to gain Irish independence. Later, he helped reorganize the Irish Republican Brotherhood in the 1880s. Many future leaders of the Easter Rising (a major event in Irish history) visited his home in Belfast. Ethna's husband, Seumas MacManus, who was also a poet, said that Robert Johnston was like a "connecting link" who kept the spirit of freedom alive for over a hundred years.
Early Writing Career
Ethna started writing when she was just fifteen years old. Her first piece was published then! She wrote many poems and short stories for different Irish magazines. Some of these magazines included United Ireland, Young Ireland, the Nation, and the Catholic Fireside.
Working for Irish Freedom
Ethna was very involved in events that celebrated Irish history and freedom. She took part in remembering the 1798 Rising, a rebellion for Irish independence. With Alice Milligan, Maud Gonne, and others, she traveled around the country giving talks about the United Irishmen, who were Irish revolutionaries.
In 1900, Ethna helped start a revolutionary women's group called Inghinidhe na hÉireann. This group was led by Maud Gonne. Ethna was chosen as a vice-president of the group, along with Jenny Wyse Power, Annie Egan, and Alice Furlong. She and Alice Milligan also wrote and put on plays as part of the group's activities.
Starting The Shan Van Vocht
In October 1895, Ethna and Alice Milligan started a journal called the Northern Patriot. It was for a group that remembered Henry Joy McCracken, an Irish rebel. However, after only four issues, Ethna was let go. The people funding the journal were worried because her father was an active "Fenian" (a term for Irish nationalists). Alice Milligan quit in support of Ethna.
Then, Ethna and Alice decided to start their own independent monthly magazine, The Shan Van Vocht. They worked out of Ethna's father's timber yard and published forty issues! A famous writer named Padraic Colum said the magazine was successful because it had a "freshness that came from its femininity." Other important writers like Alice Furlong, Katherine Tynan, Margaret Pender, and Nora Chesson also wrote for the magazine. The very first issue, in January 1896, even featured the socialist republican James Connolly.
Marriage and Later Life
On August 22, 1901, Ethna married Seumas MacManus (1867–1960). He was also a writer and had contributed to The Shan Van Vocht. After they married, they moved to Revlin House, just outside Donegal Town in County Donegal. This is when she started using the pen name Ethna Carbery. She chose this name because she didn't want to be confused with her husband, who was also a writer, once she took his last name, MacManus.
Sadly, Ethna Carbery died in Revlin House on April 2, 1902, when she was only 37 years old. She passed away from gastritis, a stomach illness. Her husband, Seumas, lived for another 58 years after her. Even though they were only married for one year, Ethna had a very deep impact on his life.
After her death, her husband published her poems in a book called The Four Winds of Erin. This book became incredibly popular. He also published a few more of her works and wrote a memoir (a type of biography) dedicated to her.
Fifty years after Ethna's death, Sinéad de Valera, a notable Irish figure, gave a public speech. She said that "Among women poets Ethna Carbery would always hold the foremost place and, even though her life was short, it was full of devotion and idealism."
Ethna Carbery's Works
Here are some of the books Ethna Carbery wrote or contributed to:
- The Four Winds of Eirinn (1902) - a collection of her poems
- The Passionate Hearts (1903) - a collection of her stories
- In the Celtic Past (1904) - hero tales
- We Sang for Ireland: Poems of Ethna Carbery, Séamus MacManus, Alice Milligan (1950) - a collection of poetry
- The Love-Talker - a collection of poetry
- Death of Sweet Roses - a collection of poetry
See also
- List of Irish writers
