Nora J Murray facts for kids
Nora J Murray (1888–1955) was an Irish poet and school teacher. She became well-known because of a special case called the Ardclough Sedition Case. This happened when her way of teaching Irish history was questioned. A local landlord, Bertram Hugh Barton, who supported British rule in Ireland, made a complaint after the 1916 rebellion. Nora Murray's book of poems, "The Wind Upon the Heath," was published in 1918 by Maunsel & Co, a company that also published William Butler Yeats's works.
Early Life and Education
Nora J Murray was born in 1888. Her father, Timothy Murray, was from Carrick on Shannon. Nora was a very bright student. She earned a scholarship to attend the local Marist Convent. She was also a talented musician. After finishing her studies, she became a teacher. She taught at Ardclough National School in County Kildare. In 1919, she married Alfred Whyte.
A Teacher and Poet
Nora Murray was special because she was one of the first women teachers in an Irish national school to become a famous poet. Before her main book, "The Wind Upon the Heath," came out in 1918, her poems were printed in newspapers like the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent. This was during a time when Ireland was fighting for its independence. She also wrote short stories. Some of her poems about her home, County Leitrim, were published after she passed away.
The Ardclough History Case
In 1916, Nora Murray's teaching of Irish history became a big topic. A local landlord, Bertram Hugh Barton, who was a Unionist (meaning he wanted Ireland to stay part of the United Kingdom), complained about her lessons.
Later, in 1917, more complaints came up. Someone named Mrs Bourke said that Nora Murray was teaching "rebellious ideas." Mrs Bourke also claimed her child was treated unfairly because his father was a British soldier.
The school leaders planned a special investigation. However, this investigation was put on hold. There was talk of legal action against Nora Murray for teaching ideas that went against the government. Local people in Ardclough quickly started a fund to help Nora Murray. After a lot of public attention, no legal action was ever taken against her.
Sources
- Gabriel Doherty: National Identity and the Study of Irish History in "The English Historical Review," Vol. 111, No. 441 (April 1996), pp. 332–3 (Oxford University Press).
- John Rooney: The poetry of Nora J Murray in Carrick on Shannon remembered p 57. (1996)
- Nora J Murray: A Wind Upon the Heath (1918)
- Nora J Murray: Leitrim of The Lakes
- Nora J Murray: A Ridge of the West
- Eoghan Corry and Jim Tancred: Annals of Ardclough (1914)
- Freeman's Journal 29 November 1917.
- Leinster Leader 1 December 1917, 30 March 1918, 18 August 1918, 31 August 1918, 30 November 1918.
- Leitrim Observer 1 December 1917
