Margaret Callan (writer) facts for kids

Margaret Callan (born around 1817 – died around 1883) was an amazing Irish woman. She was a teacher, a writer, and a nationalist. Being a nationalist meant she strongly believed Ireland should be a free and independent country. She also wrote under a special pen name, Thornton MacMahon, which is like a secret author name.

About Margaret Callan

Margaret Callan was born Margaret Hughes in a town called Newry in County Down, Ireland, around 1817. Her father, Phillip Hughes, bought and sold flax (a plant used to make linen), and her mother was Susan Gavan. A famous Irish leader, Charles Gavan Duffy, was her first cousin through her mother's side.

Margaret came from a big family. When her father passed away, the family had to find ways to support themselves. So, in 1835, Margaret and her sisters opened a special school for girls called the Whitehall Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies. It was in Blackrock, Dublin.

A School with a Message

Their school became very popular. They even advertised it in a well-known newspaper called The Nation. Margaret used her school to share her strong beliefs about Ireland's freedom. She taught her students ideas similar to those of the Young Irelanders, a group of young people who wanted Ireland to govern itself.

Margaret married John B. Callan, who was a chemist and ran a pharmacy. He also sometimes wrote for The Nation newspaper.

Writing for Ireland

Because of her family, Margaret was very connected to the Young Ireland movement. Her sister, Susan, even married their cousin Gavan Duffy in 1846. Margaret and her brother, Terence MacMahon Hughes, both wrote for The Nation.

We know for sure that Margaret wrote two articles: "A day at Versailles" (published July 29, 1843) and "A day in Paris" (published September 9, 1843). In these articles, she wrote about how much people in France supported Daniel O'Connell, another Irish leader, and his idea to end the Act of Union. This Act had joined Ireland and Great Britain, and many Irish people wanted it to be cancelled.

In 1846, Margaret edited a book called The casket of Irish pearls. She used her pen name, Thornton MacMahon, for this book. She chose this name to honor her brother, Terence. The book was a collection of Irish stories and poems. In her introduction, she wrote a special message to "the young men of Ireland." She encouraged them to get organized and learn as much as they could to show they were ready for Ireland to be self-governing.

Gavan Duffy, her cousin, said she was a "woman of genius." Through him, she even became friends with a famous writer named Thomas Carlyle when he visited Ireland in 1847. In July 1848, when Gavan Duffy was away and couldn't edit The Nation, Margaret Callan and another writer, Jane Wilde, took over editing the newspaper.

Life in Australia

In 1856, Margaret and John Callan moved to Australia. Later, their daughter Margaret married John Gavan Duffy, who was Gavan Duffy's oldest son from his first marriage.

Even though she didn't want to move back to Ireland, Margaret always cared deeply about her home country. She once wrote to a friend, "I would not go back if I could, and daily thank God, especially when I happen to read a Nation (or, indeed, any Irish journal), that my children are safe beyond the dangers of starvation or flunkeyism." This shows she was happy her children were safe from the hardships in Ireland.

Margaret Callan passed away around 1883 in Melbourne, Australia.