Alice Curtayne (1898–1981) was an Irish writer and lecturer. She was born on 6 November 1898 at 2 Upper Castle St,

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

, County Kerry. She was a daughter of John Curtayne, carriage builder, or coach builder, of Castle St, Tralee, by his wife Bridget Mary O'Dwyer. She was educated at St. Anne's,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. Married Stephen Rynne with two sons, one of whom. Andrew Rynne, a medical practitioner, became well known for his liberal views on birth control, and two daughters, one of whom, Brigid Rynne, later illustrated some of her books. Her first book was a biography of

Catherine of Siena Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa (25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, ...

(1929). After ''Catherine of Siena'' she wrote several works of nationalist history including a life of

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

(1934). The novel ''House of Cards'' (1940) concerns an Irish girl who marries an Italian industrialist. Alice lectured extensively in the US including at least three trans-American tours. She gave the Medora A. Feehan Lectures in Irish History and Literature at

Anna Maria College Anna Maria College is a private Catholic college in Paxton, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a women's college, but has been coeducational since 1973. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. History A ...

, Paxton, Massachusetts, USA in the Spring semester of 1959. The College awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters and she was presented with the Key to Worcester City by Mayor James D. O'Brien. In December 1954 ''

The Irish Press ''The Irish Press'' (irish language, Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995. History Foundation The paper's first issue was published o ...

'' sent her to Rome to write daily reports on the close of the

Marian Year A Marian year is a designation given by the Catholic Church to calendar years in which Mary the mother of Jesus is to be particularly reverenced and celebrated. Marian years do not follow a set pattern; they may be declared by a bishop for his d ...

. She went to Rome again for the final session of the Second Vatican Council. She was commissioned to send weekly reports to local newspapers, ''The Nationalist'' (Carlow) and ''

The Kerryman ''The Kerryman'' is a weekly local newspaper published in County Kerry in Ireland by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper was founded in 1904 by Maurice Griffin and cousins Thomas and Daniel Nolan. Independe ...

''. She also sent a series of profiles of outstanding personages of this Vatican Council to ''The Universe'' and an article for ''Hibernia'' journal.

Bibliography

Her works, chiefly biographical, include * St. Catherine of Siena (1929), * A Recall to Dante * Labours in the Vineyard (a translation from the Italian Giovanni Papini) * Saint Brigid of Ireland * Saint Anthony of Padua * House of Cards (a novel) * Borne of the Wind (essays) * Lough Derg * Twenty Tales of Irish Saints ( For children) * More Tales of Irish Saints (1957) Talbot Press. Illustrated by her daughter, Brigid Rynne * Jean-Baptiste Debrabant * Patrick Sarsfield (1934), * The Trial of Oliver Plunkett (1953) * The Irish Story (1962) * Francis Ledwidge: A Life of the Poet (1972). * The Complete works of Francis Ledwidge She also wrote for several newspapers. Also many articles in the Dublin published & internationally distributed journal Capuchin Annual (1930 to 1977)

References

Project Alice Curtayne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtayne, Alice 1898 births 1981 deaths Irish writers The Irish Press people The Kerryman people