Jane Barlow (17 October 1856 – 17 April 1917) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, noted for her novels and

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

s describing the lives of the Irish

peasantry A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

, chiefly about Lisconnel and Ballyhoy, in relation to both landlords and the Great Famine.

Life

Barlow was the second child and eldest daughter of Rev. James William Barlow, vice-provost of Trinity College, Dublin. Born in Dollymount, Clontarf, County Dublin, she spent most of her life living in

Raheny Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint An ...

, then a village in County Dublin, in the house in the townland of Ballyhoy which then was called "The Cottage": She was educated by the family's governess and her father. She became proficient in French and German, and was a talented classical scholar and an accomplished pianist. She travelled much throughout Ireland, and in her twenties visited Italy, France, Greece, and Turkey.Dictionary of Irish Biography
/ref> "Miss Barlow" had great success with the collection of stories ''Irish Idylls'' (1892). Running into nine editions, it was read in France, Germany, Britain and America. When the University of Dublin first began to grant degrees to women, Barlow was one of the first "to receive the highest honorary distinction that ancient seat of learning could bestow", a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...

(D. Litt.). She was a contributor to the National Literary Society in Dublin and was friends with Katharine Tynan and

Sarah Purser Sarah Henrietta Purser RHA (22 March 1848 – 7 August 1943) was an Irish artist mainly noted for her work with stained glass. Biography Purser was born in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire) in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Wat ...

, who painted her portrait in 1894. After the death of her father in 1913 she and her siblings moved to

Bray, County Wicklow Bray ( ) is a coastal town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated about south of Dublin city centre on the east coast. It has a population of 32,600 making it the ninth largest urban area within Ireland (at the 2016 census). Bray is ...

. By this time she was suffering from poor health and low spirits, but she continued with her writing. She died in Bray, on 17 April 1917. In its glowing obituary (18 April, 1917) ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' reported nothing of her health, nor a cause of death. Barlow was a member of the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to co ...

for more than 25 years. Shortly before her death, she was elected to its Committee of Reference and Publication.

Works

Barlow published under her own name and under the pseudonym Felix Ryark. She co-wrote with her father under the pseudonym Antares Skorpios. Barlow's novels and poetry collections include: * ''History of a World of Immortals Without a God'' (McGee, 1891), as Antares Skorpios * ''Bog-land Studies'' ( Unwin, 1892) * ''Irish Idylls'' ( Hodder & Stoughton, 1892) — went into nine editions * ''The End of Elfintown'' ( Macmillan, 1894) — fairy poetry illustrated by

Laurence Housman Laurence Housman (; 18 July 1865 – 20 February 1959) was an English playwright, writer and illustrator whose career stretched from the 1890s to the 1950s. He studied art in London. He was a younger brother of the poet A. E. Housman and his ...

, * ''Kerrigan's Quality'' (Hodder & Stoughton, 1894) — with 8 illustrations * ''The Battle of the Frogs and Mice'' ( Methuen, 1894) — illustrations by

Francis Donkin Bedford Francis Donkin Bedford (1864–1954), also known as F. D. Bedford, was a British artist and illustrator. He was born in Notting Hill and lived in London. He painted genre scenes and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1892. Bedford's works in ...

* ''Strangers at Lisconnell, a Second Series of Irish Idylls'' (1895) * ''Maureen's Fairing, and Other Stories'' (

Dent Dent may refer to: People * Dent (surname) * Dent May (active 2007), American musician * Dent Mowrey (1888–1960), American composer, musician and music teacher * Dent Oliver (1918–1973), international speedway rider Places France * Dent d' ...

, 1895) — illustrations by Bertha Newcombe * ''Mrs. Martin's Company, and Other Stories'' (Dent, 1896) * ''A Creel of Irish Stories'' (Methuen, 1897) * ''From the East unto the West'' (Methuen, 1898) * ''From the Land of the Shamrock'' (Methuen, 1900) — short stories * ''Ghost-Bereft, with Other Stories and Studies in Verse'' ( Smith, Elder & Co., 1901) * ''The Founding of Fortunes'' (Methuen, 1902) * ''By Beach and Bog Land'' (Unwin, 1905) * ''Irish Neighbours'' ( Hutchinson, 1907) * ''The Mockers, and Other Verses'' ( Allen, 1908) * ''A Strange Land'' (Hutchinson, 1908), as Felix Ryark — a "lost race" taleThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
/ref> * ''Irish Ways'' (Allen, 1909) — illustrations by

Warwick Goble Warwick Goble (22 November 1862 – 22 January 1943) was a British illustrator of children's books. He was educated and trained at the City of London School and the Westminster School of Art. He specialized in fairy tales and exotic scenes fr ...

* ''Mac's Adventures'' (Hutchinson, 1911) — dedicated to Algernon Charles Swinburne * ''Flaws, a Novel'' (Hutchinson, 1911) * ''Doings and Dealings'' (Hutchinson, 1913) * ''Between Doubting and Daring'' ( Blackwell, 1916) * ''In Mio's Youth'' (Hutchinson, 1917) In the United States, Barlow's works were published by Dodd, Mead & Co.

Death

Barlow died on the 17th of April, 1917, in Bray.Photo No.10123
on Ireland Genealogy Projects. She is buried with her father, mother and one of her sisters at

Mount Jerome Cemetery Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, C ...

, Dublin.

References

External links

* * * * * – her father {{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Jane 1856 births People from Clontarf, Dublin People from Raheny 19th-century Irish writers 20th-century Irish writers 19th-century Irish women writers 20th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish novelists 20th-century Irish novelists Irish women novelists Irish women poets 1917 deaths