The ''Irish Monthly'' was an Irish Catholic magazine founded in Dublin, Ireland in July 1873. Until 1920 it had the sub-title ''A Magazine of General Literature''.

History

The magazine was founded by Matthew Russell, who was its editor for almost 40 years from 1873. The first two years of the magazine were difficult, but in 1875 Rosa Mulholland arrived to help out, followed shortly by friends of Russell, including Aubrey de Vere, John O'Hagan and Sarah Atkinson, which helped put the magazine on a firm footing. Among the early contributors to the magazine were Denis Florence MacCarthy, Lady Georgiana Fullerton,

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, KCMG, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation (Irish news ...

, Stephen Brown, Emily Hickey, Dora Sigerson, T. A. Finlay, Archbishop Healy, D. Bearne, Rose Kavanagh, John O'Leary and his sister Ellen. These were members of the Irish cultural and nationalistic circles of the time, which included the likes of

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

and

George Sigerson George Sigerson (11 January 1836 – 17 February 1925) was an Irish physician, scientist, writer, politician and poet. He was a leading light in the Irish Literary Revival of the late 19th century in Ireland. Doctor and scientist Sigerson was ...

, and many young writers flocked to the magazine as an outlet for their talents. From the beginning there were many Protestant contributors, among them Mary Fagan and Frances Wynne. Matthew Russell was impressed by Wynne's poems, and offered to pay for the publication of some; a collection, called ''Whisper!'', was published in 1891. Among the writers "discovered" by the ''Irish Monthly'' are:

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, M. E. Francis,

Katharine Tynan Katharine Tynan (23 January 1859 – 2 April 1931)Clarke, Frances (2013)"Hinkson (née Tynan), Katharine Tynan" in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). was an Irish writer, known mainly for her novels and p ...

Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc ( ; ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a French-English writer, politician, and historian. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. His Catholic fait ...

, Patrick Augustine Sheehan, and

Alice Furlong 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). Life She was born at Old Bawn, near Tallaght, County Dublin, t ...

.Matthew Russell, Poets I have Known: VIII: Alice Furlong, ''Irish Monthly'', Vol. 36, No. 421 (July 1908), pp. 389-398 Gabriel Fallon was a theatre critic from 1926 to 1954. The ''Irish Monthly'' ceased publication in 1954.

References

External links

The Irish Monthly archive at HathiTrustIrish Monthly, 1875Irish Monthly, 1886Irish Monthly, 1890
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Monthly Mass media in Dublin (city) Catholic magazines published in Ireland Defunct magazines published in Ireland Magazines disestablished in 1954 Magazines established in 1873 Monthly magazines published in Ireland Defunct Catholic magazines