Lizzie Twigg (c. 18821933) was an Irish poet and Gaelic revivalist who was famously known for her appearance in ''

Ulysses Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus, a legendary Greek hero recognized for his intelligence and cunning. He is famous for his long, adventurous journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, as narrated in Homer's Odyssey. Ulysses may also refer ...

'' by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

Life and work

Despite being known as a character in ''Ulysses'', Lizzie Twigg was a real person. Born Eliza Ann Twigg in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to British soldier, Sergeant Major William Twigg and his wife Frances. He retired to live in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

where he worked as a clerk when she was a small child. Twigg was educated in the local Presentation Convent school on Sexton street. She worked in London and Dublin as well as living in Limerick. Twigg was a protégé of

George William Russell George William Russell (10 April 1867 – 17 July 1935), who wrote with the pseudonym Æ (often written AE or A.E.), was an Irish writer, editor, critic, poet, painter and Irish nationalist. He was also a writer on mysticism, and a cen ...

and an ardent nationalist. She wrote poems for the dominican published monthly the

Irish Rosary ''Irish Rosary'' ("A monthly magazine conducted by the Dominican Fathers"), was an Irish Catholic monthly magazine produced by the Irish Dominicans. The ''Irish Rosary'' was the first publication from the Dominican Publications since its foundatio ...

and the

United Irishman ''The United Irishman'' was an Irish nationalist newspaper co-founded by Arthur Griffith and William Rooney.Arthur Griffith

in February 1903. Her volume of poems was called ''Songs and Poems'' in 1904. Although quite well known by her penname Éilis Ní Chraoibhín in Arthur Griffith's paper, she was largely forgotten by the time of her death and today it is her appearance in Ulysses for which she is best remembered. She died after a long illness in Limerick on 3 January 1933.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twigg, Lizzie Irish women poets Writers from County Limerick British people in colonial India 1880s births 1933 deaths Year of birth uncertain