Thomas MacGreevy facts for kids

Thomas MacGreevy (born Thomas McGreevy; 26 October 1893 – 16 March 1967) was a very important Irish poet. He also led the National Gallery of Ireland for many years, from 1950 to 1963. He was even part of the first Irish Arts Council, which helps support art in Ireland.

Early Life and Education

Thomas MacGreevy was born in Tarbert, County Kerry, Ireland. His father was a policeman, and his mother was a primary school teacher. When he was 16, he started working for the British government as a young clerk.

Serving in World War I

When First World War started, Thomas got a promotion to a job in intelligence with the British Navy. In 1916, he joined the army. He fought in major battles like Ypres and the Somme, where he was injured two times.

After the war, he went to Trinity College, Dublin to study. Today, his important papers are kept in the library there. He then worked with different library groups and started writing articles for Irish magazines. This is also when he began writing his first poems.

Becoming a Poet

In 1924, Thomas MacGreevy met the famous writer James Joyce in Paris. The next year, he moved to London. There, he met another well-known poet, T. S. Eliot. Thomas started writing for magazines like The Criterion and also began publishing his own poetry.

Teaching and Writing in Paris

In 1927, MacGreevy moved to Paris to teach English at a school called the École Normale Supérieure. While there, he became friends with Samuel Beckett and spent more time with James Joyce.

In 1929, his essay The Catholic Element in Work In Progress was published. This essay helped explain Joyce's book Finnegans Wake. He also signed a special statement called Poetry is Vertical with Samuel Beckett. In 1931, he wrote books about the works of Eliot and Richard Aldington.

Publishing His Poems

In 1934, MacGreevy's book of poems, simply called Poems, was published in London and New York City. This book showed that he had learned from other poets and added his own unique style. Another famous poet, Wallace Stevens, really liked the book, and they often wrote letters to each other.

Even though Thomas MacGreevy kept writing poetry, Poems was the only collection published while he was alive. After he passed away, two more collections of his poems were released, including some that had never been published before.

His Work in Art

In 1929, MacGreevy started working for Formes, a magazine about fine arts. He also translated a book by Paul Valéry about Leonardo da Vinci. In the mid-1930s, he moved back to London. He earned a living by giving talks at the National Gallery there.

From 1938 to 1940, he was the main art critic for The Studio magazine. He wrote several books about art and artists. These included books about Jack Butler Yeats and Nicolas Poussin. He also wrote Pictures in the Irish National Gallery in 1945. From 1950 to 1963, he was the director of the National Gallery of Ireland.

His Faith

Thomas MacGreevy was a Roman Catholic his whole life. His faith was important to both his poetry and his work. When he returned to Dublin during the Second World War, he wrote for religious magazines like the Father Mathew Record and The Capuchin Annual. He also joined the team that edited The Capuchin Annual.