Patrick Reginald Chalmers (27 June 1872 – 12 September 1942) was an Irish writer, who worked as a banker. His first book was ''Green Days and Blue Days'' (1912), followed by ''A Peck of Malt'' (1915). He wrote in a number of different areas, including

field sports Field sports are outdoor sports that take place in the wilderness or sparsely populated rural areas, where there are vast areas of uninhabited greenfields. The term specifically refers to activities that mandate sufficiently large open spaces ...

, deerstalking and

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

, as well biographies of

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

and

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. He was a contributor to '' Punch magazine'' and '' The Field'', and editor of the hunting diaries of

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

(as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

). He also wrote much poetry, with topics war, dogs and cats, and Irish life, as well as hunting and fishing. His work was part of the literature event in the art competition at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

. Variations on the line "What's lost upon the roundabouts we pulls up on the swings!", appearing in his poem "Roundabouts and Swings", have entered common parlance, though the origin is often no longer remembered. The phrase appeared six years earlier in the form "What we lose on the swings we make up on the roundabouts" in P.G. Wodehouse's 1906 novel '' Love Among the Chickens''.

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20th-century Irish writers 1872 births 1942 deaths Art competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics {{Ireland-writer-stub