Niall Sheridan facts for kids

Niall Sheridan (born 1912, died 1998) was an Irish writer and radio host. He wrote poems and stories. People mostly remember him for being good friends with other famous Irish writers. These friends included Brian O'Nolan, who wrote as Flann O'Brien, and Donagh MacDonagh.

College Days and Early Writing

Starting a Magazine

When Niall was a student at University College Dublin (UCD), he helped start a magazine. It was called Blather. He started it with Brian O'Nolan and Brian's brother, Ciaran O'Nolan. Niall was also one of the people who started the "Cult of Joyce" at UCD. This was a group of students who really admired the famous writer James Joyce. Other writers in this group included O'Nolan, Denis Devlin, and Donagh MacDonagh.

Sharing a Room and Publishing Poems

While at college, Niall shared a room with Donagh MacDonagh. They lived in Rathmines. Their house had a big dog named Thor. Many other young writers, artists, and thinkers often visited them. A poet named Charles Donnelly visited very often. In 1934, Niall and Donagh published a book together. It was called Twenty Poems. They each wrote ten poems for the book. Only 300 copies were printed by Colm Ó Lochlainn.

Friendship with Flann O'Brien

Newspaper Pranks and Novel Plans

Niall stayed good friends with Brian O'Nolan. They often worked together on funny pranks. They would write clever letters to the Irish Times newspaper. At the same time, they met with other UCD friends at Grogan's Pub in Dublin. They planned to write a big political novel together. It was going to be called Children of Destiny, but they never finished it.

Niall in a Famous Novel

As Niall's friends became more famous, people remembered his early role. Niall is shown in O'Nolan's book, At Swim-Two-Birds. He is the character Brinsley. Brinsley is described as a very smart student from County Meath. He is known for his clever and short sayings. Many parts of Niall's real life and work were used in O'Nolan's novel. This included his early translations of poems by Catullus. These translations were in his Twenty Poems book. After the book was published, Niall took a copy to James Joyce in Paris. But Joyce told him he had already read it.

The Mysterious Interview

In 1949, Niall and O'Nolan published an interview. It was with John Stanislaus Joyce, who was James Joyce's father. They did not put their names on it. Later, people wondered if this interview was real. Many thought it was just one of O'Nolan's many literary pranks. However, Niall told Joyce's writer, Richard Ellmann, that the interview did happen. So, it is still a mystery today.

Later Life and Broadcasting Career

Marriage and Radio Work

In 1939, Niall married Monica Treanor. Monica was a chef. Like Monica, Niall also became a broadcaster. He worked on a show called Information Please for Radio Éireann. This was a radio station.

Moving to Television

Later, his employer, now called Raidió Teilifís Éireann, started television. Niall wrote for television too. He wrote a TV play called "A Dog's Life." He also made several shows about his friend O'Nolan. Niall continued to be active in the world of books and writing. He often helped his old friends. For example, in 1950, he wrote an introduction for Devlin's poem "The Heavenly Foreigner." He wrote that "on careful reading, superficial obscurities vanish." After MacDonagh died in 1968, Niall wrote a special introduction for his poetry book A Warning to Conquerors. Niall also worked on his own writings sometimes. His play Seven Men and a Dog was performed at the Abbey Theatre in 1958.

See also

• James Casey (poet-priest), who inspired another character in At Swim-Two-Birds