Mary Downing (née McCarthy; ''c.''1815–1881) was an Irish poet and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

best known by her pen name "Christabel". Some of her poetry appeared in ''The ballad poetry of Ireland'' (1869), a collection of verse edited by

Charles Gavan Duffy Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC (12 April 1816 – 9 February 1903), was an Irish poet and journalist (editor of ''The Nation''), Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics of ...

Life

Mary Downing was born Mary McCarthy around 1815 in Kilfadda More,

Kilgarvan Kilgarvan () is a small village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the Roughty River which flows into Kenmare Bay. By car, the village is a ten-minute trip from Kenmare, and thirty minutes from Killarney. History Kilgarva ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. She was the eldest daughter of Daniel McCarthy, Esq. Over her life time, she used a number of pen names but is best known as "Christabel" or "Myrrha". Under these names, Downing published a large amount of her verse in the ''Cork Southern Reporter'' and the ''Freeholder''. Under the names "M.F.D." and "C**l" she contributed several poems to the ''Dublin Citizen''. Her best known work, ''Scraps from the mountains, and other poems'' was published in 1840 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. She married Washington Downing (died 1877) of

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. Location Kenmare is located at the head of Kenmare ...

in the 1830s. He was the parliamentary reporter for the '' Daily News'', so the couple moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Washington's brother was Timothy McCarthy Downing. Her daughter Helena Shearer was a famous

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. Downing was a dedicated

, and helped a number of the participants of the failed

Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848 The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement, part of the wider Revolutions of 1848 that affected most of Europe. It took place on 29 July 1848 at Farranrory, a small settlement about 4 ...

escape to France. Her father remained at the family home in Kilfadda More and in September 1848, James Stephens and

Michael Doheny Michael Doheny (22 May 1805 – 1 April 1862Some references give 1862: ) was an Irish writer, lawyer, member of the Young Ireland movement, and co-founder of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, an Irish secret society which would go on to launch ...

sheltered there while they planned their escape from Ireland. Doheny escaped on a ship bound for

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

as a

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. Initially, it was suggested that Stephens could pose as Downing's maid as he was so young and could have passed for a woman. Stephens refused to take part in this plan, and instead travelled with Downing on the Sabarina posing as her servant boy. Stephens hid at the Downings home in London before travelling on to France. When he returned to the United Kingdom in 1856, he passed through their house again. The Downings lived at a number of London addresses, including

Pentonville Pentonville is an area on the northern fringe of Central London, in the London Borough of Islington. It is located north-northeast of Charing Cross on the Inner Ring Road. Pentonville developed in the northwestern edge of the ancient parish o ...

, Cumming Street, and lastly Hilldrop Crescent,

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

where she was living in 1871. Downing died in 1881 in London. Papers relating to Downing are held as part of the McCarthy papers in the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...

. The bicentenary of her birth was celebrated in Kilgarvan, County Kerry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downing, Mary 1815 births 1881 deaths People from Kilgarvan 19th-century Irish poets 19th-century Irish writers 19th-century Irish women writers Writers from County Kerry Irish women poets