Stephen Gwynn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephen Gwynn
Member of Parliament for Galway Borough
In office 3 November 1906 – 14 December 1918
Preceded by	Charles Ramsay Devlin
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	13 February 1864 St Columba's College, Dublin
Died	11 June 1950(1950-06-11) (aged 86) Terenure, Dublin
Political party	Irish Parliamentary Party (before 1919) Irish Centre Party (1919) Irish Dominion League (1919)
Alma mater	Brasenose College, Oxford
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1915-1919
Rank	Captain
Unit	Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) Connaught Rangers
Battles/wars	First World War
Awards	Legion of Honour (1915)

Stephen Lucius Gwynn (born February 13, 1864 – died June 11, 1950) was an Irish journalist, writer, poet, and politician. He was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party. He represented Galway city as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1906 to 1918.

Gwynn served as an officer in the British Army in France during World War I. He strongly believed that Ireland should help the Allied war effort. After the war, he started the Irish Centre Party in 1919. However, his ideas for a moderate, independent Ireland became less popular as Sinn Féin gained more support.

Early Life and Family

Stephen Gwynn was born at Saint Columba's College in Rathfarnham, near County Dublin. His father, John Gwynn, was a professor and a clergyman. His mother, Lucy Josephine, was the daughter of the Irish nationalist William Smith O'Brien. Stephen was the oldest of ten children.

Soon after he was born, his family moved to Ramelton in County Donegal. This rural area shaped his views on Ireland. He later studied at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he excelled in his studies. During his holidays, he met many important political and literary figures in Dublin.

A Career in Writing and Politics

After finishing college in 1886, Gwynn worked as a schoolteacher for ten years. He spent some time in France, which made him interested in French culture. By 1896, he started writing and became a journalist in London. He later became involved with the growing Irish literary movement.

This marked the start of his long and successful career as a writer. He wrote many books, including poetry, biographies, and historical works. He was especially interested in the 1700s. He also wrote about travel, the Irish landscape, wine, art, and fishing.

In 1904, Gwynn returned to Ireland and entered politics. In 1906, he won a seat to represent Galway city in Parliament. He was a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party until 1918. During this time, he supported the Gaelic League, which promoted the Irish language. He also helped establish a Catholic university in Ireland.

Gwynn strongly supported "Home Rule" for Ireland. This meant Ireland would have its own government but remain part of the British Empire. He wrote a book called The Case for Home Rule in 1911. He also managed his party's public messages and responded to criticism from Sinn Féin.

Serving in the Great War

When World War I began in 1914, Stephen Gwynn strongly supported Irish people joining the British war effort. He believed this would help ensure that Home Rule would be granted to Ireland after the war.

In January 1915, at over 50 years old, Gwynn joined the army. He became a captain in the 6th Battalion of the Connaught Rangers. He served on the Western Front, fighting in major battles like Messines and the Somme.

He was one of five Irish Nationalist Members of Parliament who served in the army during the war. He also helped recruit more soldiers for the Irish divisions. In July 1915, he was awarded the Légion d'honneur, a high French honor.

In late 1917, Gwynn returned to Ireland to take part in the Irish Convention. This meeting aimed to find a solution for Home Rule that everyone could agree on. He tried to find a compromise with Irish Unionists to avoid dividing Ireland. After his party leader, John Redmond, died in 1918, Gwynn became a leader for moderate Irish nationalists.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1919, Stephen Gwynn formed the Irish Centre Party. He tried to win a seat in Parliament again but was unsuccessful. His party later joined with the Irish Dominion League. They wanted Ireland to have "dominion status," meaning it would be like Canada or Australia, governing itself but still linked to Britain.

However, Gwynn's moderate ideas became less popular as Ireland faced more conflict during the Anglo-Irish War and Irish Civil War. He supported the new Irish nation but also spoke out against some of the violence that occurred.

Gwynn continued to write extensively. He worked as the Irish correspondent for The Observer and The Times newspapers. He wrote important works, including books about fishing, which were illustrated by artist Roy Beddington.

Stephen Gwynn received honorary degrees from the National University of Ireland in 1940 and the University of Dublin in 1945. He was also awarded the Gregory Medal in 1950 for his literary work. He believed in kindness and understanding, qualities that were not always common in Ireland during his time of political change. He passed away on June 11, 1950, in Dublin.

Family Life

Stephen Gwynn married his cousin, Mary Louisa. They had three sons and two daughters. Their son Aubrey became a Jesuit priest and a history professor. Their second son, Denis Rolleston, also became a history professor.

Stephen Gwynn's brother Edward John became the head of Trinity College Dublin. Another brother, Robin, became a senior dean there. His sister Lucy Gwynn was the first woman registrar at Trinity College. His brother Charles had a successful career in the British Army. Two younger brothers, Lucius and Jack, were well-known cricketers.

Images for kids

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  Stephen Gwynn as a baby, with his parents John and Lucy Gwynn, 1864

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  Stephen and his brother Edward as boys, c.1874

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  Stephen Gwynn as MP, c. 1906

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  Stephen Gwynn with his family, 1906

Works by Stephen Gwynn

• Memorials of an Eighteenth Century Painter (James Northcote) (1898)
• Highways and Byways in Donegal and Antrim (1899)
• Tennyson (1899)
• The Old Knowledge (1901)
• The Queen's Chronicler (1901) (collection of poems)
• Today and Tomorrow in Ireland (1903)
• Henry Grattan and his Times (1904)
• The Masters of English Literature (1904)
• Thomas Moore (1905)
• The fair hills of Ireland (1906)
• A Holiday in Connemara (1909)
• Robert Emmet: a historical romance (1909)
• The case for Home Rule (1911)
• Beautiful Ireland: Pictured by Alexander Williams; described by Stephen Gwynn (1911)
• Battle Songs for the Irish Brigade (1915), (collected, with Tom Kettle)
• John Redmond's last years (1919)
• History of Ireland (1923)
• Collected poems (1923)
• Ireland (1924)
• Experiences of a Literary Man (autobiography) (1926)
• In Praise of France (1927)
• The Scholar's Treasury: a Book of Irish Poetry (1927)
• The Charm of Ireland (1927)
• Captain Scott (1929)
• The Letters and Friendships of Sir Cecil Spring Rice (1929)
• Ulster, Munster, Leinster (1930)
• Burgundy; with chapters on the Jura and Savoy (1930)
• The Life of Mary Kingsley (1930)
• Sir Walter Scott (1930)
• The Life of Horace Walpole (1932)
• The life and friendship of Dean Swift (1933)
• Oliver Goldsmith (1935)
• Ireland in Ten Days (1935)
• Irish Literature and Drama in the English Language (1936)
• The Happy Fisherman (1936)
• From River to River (1937)
• Two in a Valley (1938)
• Dublin Old and New (1938)
• Robert Louis Stevenson (1939)
• Salute to Valour (1941)
• Aftermath (1946)
• Memories of Enjoyment (1946)