William Kirkpatrick Magee facts for kids

William Kirkpatrick Magee (born January 16, 1868 – died May 9, 1961) was an Irish writer, editor, and librarian. He is best known by his pen-name, John Eglinton. A pen-name is a fake name a writer uses instead of their real name. Magee became the head librarian at the National Library of Ireland. He also edited a literary magazine called Dana from 1904 to 1905. He wrote a book about his friend, the writer George William Russell, who was also known as "Æ".

Who Was William Magee?

William Magee was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Rev. Hamilton Magee, was a Presbyterian minister from Ulster. His mother was Emily Clare Kirkpatrick. William was the second of three sons. His older brother was Hamilton Malcolm Magee, and his younger brother was James Henry Magee.

William went to school at Erasmus Smith High School in Dublin. There, he met the famous poet W. B. Yeats. Later, Magee went to Trinity College, Dublin. He was very good at writing. He won a special prize four times for his writing in English, Greek, or Latin. He won for poetry in 1889 and 1890, and for prose (regular writing) in 1892 and 1893.

Both William and his older brother, H. M. Magee, were part of the Theosophical Society. This was a group that studied different religions and philosophies. His brother even shared rooms with George William Russell, also known as "Æ," who was also a Theosophist.

Magee's Life and Work

William Magee, or John Eglinton, was an important part of the Irish Literary Revival. This was a time when Irish writers were creating many new and exciting works. Magee believed that Irish writers should write about topics that everyone in the world could understand. This was different from some other writers, like Æ and Yeats, who focused more on Irish stories and traditions.

Magee edited a book called Literary Ideals in Ireland (1898). This book shared the different ideas from the debates between Magee, Æ, and Yeats. He used his real name for this book.

As a writer, Magee mostly wrote essays. His essays, under the name John Eglinton, appeared in several magazines and newspapers. These included the New Ireland Review and the Daily Express.

In 1904, Magee started a new literary magazine called Dana: an Irish Magazine of Independent Thought. He was a co-editor until April 1905. Famous writers like Oliver St John Gogarty contributed to the magazine. Magee even paid James Joyce for a poem. Joyce offered Magee an early version of his famous book, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. However, Magee turned it down, saying he couldn't understand it.

In 1904, Magee became a librarian at the National Library of Ireland. This happened thanks to the help of Edward Dowden. In 1905, some of Magee's essays were chosen by William Butler Yeats for a book. This book was published by the Yeats family's Dun Emer Press.

In 1920, Magee married Marie Louise O'Leary, who also worked at the library. They both retired from the National Library in 1921. Magee retired as the head librarian. Soon after, Ireland became the Irish Free State, independent from the United Kingdom. Magee and his wife left Ireland. They first lived in Wales and then moved to Bournemouth in England.

Even after leaving Ireland, Magee continued to write. He wrote articles called "Dublin Letters" for an American magazine called The Dial until 1929. He also kept writing about Irish literature. In 1937, he published a biography of his friend, George William Russell, called A memoir of AE, George William Russell. William Kirkpatrick Magee passed away in Bournemouth on May 9, 1961.

What Did William Magee Write?

Here are some of the books and essays William Magee published:

• Two Essays on the Remnant (1896)
• Literary Ideals in Ireland (1899), which he edited
• Pebbles from a Brook (1901)
• Some Essays and Passages by John Eglinton, selected by William Butler Yeats (1905)
• Bards and Saints (1906)
• Anglo-Irish Essays (1917)
  • This book included an essay called “Philosophy of the Celtic Movement.”
• “Synge, John Millington” in Encyclopædia Britannica (1922)
• A memoir of AE, George William Russell (1937)
• Confidential; or, Take it or Leave it (1951), a book of poems
• Letters of George Moore: With an Introduction by John Eglinton, to Whom They Were Written (1970)