Patrick MacDonogh (1902–1961) was an
Irish poet who published five books of poetry in his lifetime. His work is included in the
Faber Book of Irish Verse.
Biography
Patrick MacDonogh was born in Dublin, one of five children. His father was headmaster of
Avoca School, Blackrock. MacDonogh attended Avoca School and later
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
. After graduating, MacDonogh taught and worked as a commercial artist. He was later hired by the brewers of
Guinness
Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...
, and would become a senior executive at the company.
MacDonogh was published in outlets including ''Dublin Magazine'', the ''Observer'', ''Harper's'', and ''The American Mercury.''
Much of MacDonogh's poetry was set in north and south County Dublin and County Meath, specifically the Kinsealy woodlands and the Malahide estuary. His 1943 collection ''Over the Water'' produced his best-known poem, "She Walked Unaware",
one of several folk song-esque poems he became known for. The collection, written during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, also dwelled upon wartime themes.
Toward the end of his life, MacDonogh suffered increasing physical and mental health problems, including depression, and spent several stretches in psychiatric hospitals. He died in 1961.
Personal life
Patrick MacDonogh married Ellen (Maisie) Connell, who was a
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
.
They had two daughters.
MacDonogh was also an accomplished
field hockey
Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
player, playing for the Irish team between 1937 and 1939.
Bibliography
* ''Flirtation'' (G. F. Healy, Dublin, 1927)
* ''A Leaf in the Wind'' (Quota Press, Belfast, 1929)
* ''The Vestal Fire'' (Orwell Press, Dublin, 1941)
* ''Over the Water'' (Orwell Press, 1943)
* ''One Landscape Still and Other Poems'' (Secker & Warburg, London, 1958)
References
Further reading
* - English abstract available
External links
Patrick MacDonogh poemhunter
1902 births
1961 deaths
Writers from County Dublin
20th-century Irish poets
20th-century Irish male writers
Irish male poets
{{Ireland-poet-stub