Standish James O'Grady facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Standish James O'Grady
Born	(1846-03-22)22 March 1846 Castletownbere, County Cork, Ireland
Died	18 May 1928(1928-05-18) (aged 81) Shanklin, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Journalist, historian, writer
Nationality	Irish
Education	Trinity College, Dublin
Literary movement	Celtic Revival
Notable works	History of Ireland: Heroic Period

Standish James O'Grady (Irish: Anéislis Séamus Ó Grádaigh; 18 September 1846 – 18 May 1928) was an important Irish writer, journalist, and historian. He was inspired by another historian, Sylvester O'Halloran. O'Grady played a big part in the Celtic Revival, which was a movement to bring back interest in old Irish culture.

He published stories from Irish mythology in his book History of Ireland: Heroic Period (1878). He believed that old Irish stories were as great as the tales from Homeric Greece. O'Grady had some interesting ideas for his time. He was proud of his Gaelic background. He also belonged to the Church of Ireland. He valued old traditions and disliked modern changes. At one point, he even suggested that Irish people should take over the British Empire!

O'Grady's work brought together different groups in Irish literature. Writers like Lady Gregory, W. B. Yeats, and George William Russell said he helped them become interested in the ancient Irish stories of the Fenian Cycle. Even some people from the political party Sinn Féin, like its founder Arthur Griffith, praised his efforts. They felt he helped bring back the heroic spirit of Gaelic Ireland.

Standish O'Grady's Family Life

Standish James O'Grady's father was Reverend Thomas O'Grady. He was a Church of Ireland minister and a scholar. His mother was Susanna Doe. Standish grew up in a home called the Glebe, near Castletownbere in County Cork.

He was a cousin to Standish Hayes O'Grady, who was also known for his work in Celtic literature. Another cousin was Standish O'Grady, 1st Viscount Guillamore.

Standish married Margaret Allen Fisher. They had three sons together. Later in life, he was advised to leave Ireland for his health. He moved to England and lived with his oldest son, who was a clergyman. He passed away on the Isle of Wight.

His oldest son, Hugh Art O'Grady, was an editor for a newspaper called the Cork Free Press. He later became a professor at the Transvaal University College in South Africa. In 1929, Hugh wrote a book about his father's life.

Standish James O'Grady went to Tipperary Grammar School. After that, he studied at Trinity College, Dublin, just like his father. He won many awards there and was good at several sports.

Standish O'Grady's Career and Writings

Standish O'Grady had a very independent mind. He decided not to become a church minister. Instead, he worked as a schoolmaster at Midleton College. He also became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer. But he earned most of his money by writing for Irish newspapers.

Discovering Irish History

Reading a book called "General history of Ireland" by Sylvester O'Halloran made him very interested in early Irish history. At first, his writings about ancient legends, like "History of Ireland: Heroic Period" (1878–81), were not very popular. He soon realized that people wanted exciting stories. So, he started rewriting Irish legends as historical novels.

Famous Historical Novels

He followed the example of James Macpherson, who retold Scottish legends. O'Grady wrote many popular books, including:

• Finn and his Companions (1891)
• The Coming of Cuculain (1894)
• The Chain of Gold (1895)
• Ulrick the Ready (1896)
• The Flight of the Eagle (1897)
• The Departure of Dermot (1913)

He also studied Irish history from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. In his book "Pacata Hibernia" (1896), he suggested that the Irish people wanted the Tudors (the English royal family) to rule Ireland. He thought they wanted to get rid of their own unpopular Irish chieftains. His book "The Story of Ireland" (1894) was not well-received. Some Irish readers did not like his positive views on Oliver Cromwell. O'Grady also worked on social and political issues, like unemployment and taxes.

Journalism and the Celtic Revival

Until 1898, he worked as a journalist for the Daily Express in Dublin. When journalism in Dublin became difficult, he moved to Kilkenny. There, he became the editor of the Kilkenny Moderator newspaper. In Kilkenny, he worked with Ellen Cuffe, Countess of Desart and Captain Otway Cuffe. He helped restart local industries like wool and woodworking.

In 1900, he started his own newspaper, the All-Ireland Review. He moved back to Dublin to manage it until it stopped publishing in 1908. O'Grady also wrote for James Larkins' newspaper, The Irish Worker.

O'Grady's writings had a big impact on famous writers like WB Yeats and George Russell. Because of this, he became known as the "Father of the Celtic Revival". He was proud of his family's Unionist (supporting the union with Britain) and Protestant beliefs. He was also proud of his Gaelic Irish heritage. These two identities were often seen as opposites in the late 1800s. Lady Gregory described him as a "fenian unionist", meaning he had a mix of Irish nationalist and British loyalist ideas.

Published Works

• The Emigrant: A Poem in Four Cantos (1842)
• History of Ireland: The Heroic Period (1878)
• Early Bardic Literature of Ireland (1879)
• History of Ireland: Cuculain and His Contemporaries (1880)
• Toryism and the Tory Democracy (1886)
• Red Hugh's Captivity: A Picture of Ireland, Social and Political, in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (1889)
• Finn and his Companions (1891)
• The Bog of the Stars (1893)
• Lost On Du-Corrig Or Twixt Earth And Ocean (1894)
• The Coming of Cuculain (1894)
• The Chain of Gold (1895)
• In the Wake of King James, Or, Dun-Randal on the Sea (1896)
• Ulrick the Ready (1896)
• The Flight of the Eagle (1897)
• All Ireland (1898)
• Hugh Roe O'Donnell: A Sixteenth Century Irish Historical Play (1902)
• The Departure of Dermot (1913)
• Sun and Wind (1928)

See also

• Gaelic League
• Douglas Hyde