Richard D'Alton Williams facts for kids

Richard D'Alton Williams was an Irish doctor and poet. He was also known as "Shamrock" when he wrote for a newspaper called The Nation. He lived from 1822 to 1862.

Early Life and Education

Richard was born in Dublin, Ireland. His parents, James and Mary Williams, were from Westmeath. He spent his childhood in Grenanstown, a small area in County Tipperary, near a place called the Devil's Bit. His father was a farmer there. Richard went to school at Tullabeg Jesuit College and St. Patrick's College, Carlow.

Writing for The Nation

In 1843, Richard started writing poems for The Nation newspaper. People loved his writing right away. One newspaper article from January 1843 said that "Shamrock" (Richard's pen name) was a "jewel" and that his poems were full of energy.

Medical Studies and The Irish Tribune

Later in 1843, Richard moved to Dublin to study medicine. In 1848, he helped start a new newspaper called The Irish Tribune. He worked on it with Thomas Antisell and Kevin O'Doherty. This newspaper was created after another paper, United Irishman, had to stop publishing.

After only five issues, the government stopped The Irish Tribune. Richard and the other editors faced legal challenges. In October 1848, Kevin O'Doherty was found guilty and sent to Australia. Thomas Antisell moved to the United States. Richard D'Alton Williams was also tried, but he was found not guilty.

Life in America

After his trial, Richard went back to studying medicine. He finished his degree in Edinburgh in 1849. In 1851, he moved to America. He worked as a doctor there for several years.

Richard became ill and passed away from tuberculosis in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in 1862. He is buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Thibodaux. Later that year, Irish soldiers from the 8th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry put up a headstone for him.

Richard was married to Elizabeth Connolly. They had two children together.