Alice Furlong (26 November 1866 – 1946) was an Irish writer, poet and political activist who also worked on Irish publications with Douglas Hyde (later President of Ireland).

Alice Furlong
Born(1866-11-26)26 November 1866
Old Bawn, County Dublin
Died1946
OccupationWriter, poet, Political activist
LanguageIrish, English
NationalityIrish
EducationDr Steevens' Hospital
Literary movementInghinidhe na hÉireann

Life

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She was born at Old Bawn, near Tallaght, County Dublin, the daughter of John Furlong, a sporting journalist. She trained as a nurse at Dr Steevens' Hospital. In the 1890s, her father was injured in a race-course accident and ended up in her ward, where he died shortly afterward, and her mother died two months later.[1] Her first literary contributions were to the Irish Monthly at age 16.[2]

In 1899, Furlong published Roses and Rue, favourably reviewed by Stopford Brooke and others, and in 1907 Tales of Fairy Folk and Queens and Heroes. Her verse appeared in several anthologies.[2] She contributed to several journals, including the Irish Monthly, the Weekly Freeman, Chambers's Journal, and the nationalist Shan Van Vocht, run by Alice Milligan, and Anna Johnston (Ethna Carbery).[3] After 1916 she started studying Irish, and in the 1920s published poems in Irish and translated from Irish, and added the Irish Press to the journals she contributed to.[4]

In 1900 she was a founder-member of Inghinidhe na hÉireann, the revolutionary women's organisation led by Maud Gonne. Furlong was elected a vice-president of the association, along with Jenny Wyse Power, Annie Egan and Anna Johnston.[5]

Two of her sisters, Katherine and Mary, also wrote poetry, but died young, while another sister, Margaret, married the songwriter P. J. McCall.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Russell, Matthew (July 1908). "Poets I have Known: VIII: Alice Furlong". The Irish Monthly. 36 (421): 389–398. JSTOR 20501372.
  2. ^ a b Stewart, Bruce. "Alice Furlong - Life". Index of Irish Authors. Ricorso. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ Steele, Karen Margaret (2007). Women, press, and politics during the Irish revival. Syracuse University Press. p. 30. ISBN 9780815631415.
  4. ^ Little, Arthur (April 1947). "Lest We Forget Alice Furlong". The Irish Monthly. 75 (886). Irish Province of the Society of Jesus. JSTOR 20515632.
  5. ^ Coxhead, Elizabeth (1965). Coxhead: Daughters of Erin, Five Women of the Irish Renaissance. Secker & Warburg. p. 44. OCLC 221610878.