Mary Manning Howe Adams (30 June 1905 – 27 June 1999) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

novelist, playwright and film critic.

Biography

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Mary Manning got her theatre training in

Sara Allgood Sarah Ellen Allgood (30 October 1880 – 13 September 1950), known as Sara Allgood, was an Irish-American actress. She first studied drama with the Irish nationalist Daughters of Ireland and was at the opening of the Irish National Theatre Soc ...

's teaching class in the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

. She had gone to school in Morehampton House and

Alexandra College Alexandra College ( ir, Coláiste Alexandra) is a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its ...

, Dublin. She also worked as a writer for the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a Theater (structure), theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Ge ...

. She adapted the short story

Guests of the Nation "Guests of the Nation" is a short story written by Frank O'Connor, first published in 1931, portraying the execution of two British soldiers being held captive by the Irish Republican Army during the War for Independence. The story is split in ...

for a film directed by

Denis Johnston (William) Denis Johnston (18 June 1901 – 8 August 1984) was an Irish writer. Born in Dublin, he wrote mostly plays, but also works of literary criticism, a book-length biographical essay of Jonathan Swift, a memoir and an eccentric work on co ...

. Manning also helped found the Dublin Film Society in 1930. She worked as a film critic and co-founded the Gate Theatre arts magazine Motley in 1932. In 1935 Manning moved to Boston where she married

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

professor Mark De Wolfe Howe. They had three daughters Fanny,

Susan Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

and Helen. When her husband died Manning returned to Dublin in 1967 and lived in

Monkstown, County Dublin Monkstown (), historically known as ''Carrickbrennan'' ( gle, Carraig Bhraonáin), is a suburb in south Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is on the coast, between Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire. The lands of the Carrickbr ...

for another ten years. During this time Manning wrote for various publications such as

Hibernia ''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

and

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

. She later returned to live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Manning was a founder of the Poets' Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts and worked as drama director at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

during World War II. After Manning returned to the US she married Faneuil Adams of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts in 1980 Mary's death occurred on 27 June in the year of 1999; at the age of 93 years old. Her death place was at the Mt Auburn hospital located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ireland's two waves of silent film

From 1914 to 1926, Ireland experienced a surge of new film styles being produced, consisting of historical melodramas and romantic comedies. Following this, 1930 to 1935 birthed a second wave of industry produced silent films that were intended to be less cliche compared to the first wave. The films produced under the second wave were much more experimental and dealt less with the commercial appeals of the first wave. There's minimal information on how Manning specifically contributed to the second wave, however, it is stated that she played an important role producing five out of the six films to come out of that wave. Prior to her career as a writer and filmmaker, Mary Manning worked as a film critic throughout the 1920s and 30s. She worked as a film critic for the ''

Irish Statesman The ''Irish Statesman'' was a weekly journal promoting the views of the Irish Dominion League. It ran from 27 June 1919 to June 1930, edited by Warre B. Wells, assisted by James Winder Good, and with contributions from W. B. Yeats, George Bern ...

'' for a year during that time until it went out of business. She was known to disapprove of Hollywood's "unimaginable stories and its stereotypical portrayal of Ireland and the Irish".

Bibliography

Writings

* Adams, Bernard. ''Denis Johnston: A Life''. Dublin: Lilliput, 2002. * Advertisement. ''Irish Times'' (20 August 1930): 6. * ''Irish Times'' (23 August 1930): 6. * ''Irish Times'' (26 August 1930): 6. * ''Irish Independent'' (23 August 1930): 8. * ''Irish Independent'' (26 August 1930): 6. * Barton, Ruth. ''Irish National Cinema''. New York: Routledge, 2004. * Casella, Donna R. “Women and Nationalism in Indigenous Irish Filmmaking of the Silent Period.” In ''Researching Women in Silent Cinema: New Findings and Perspectives''. Eds. Monica Dall’Asta, Victoria Duckett, and Lucia Tralli. Bologna: University of Bologna, 2013. 53–80. * “From Lantern to Slide Show.” ''Memories in Focus''. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Dublin. 27 April 1995. Television. IED, RTÉ. * Howe, Fanny. Personal Interview. 10 July 2015. * Howe, Susan. Personal Interview. 11 June 2015. * "Irish Amateur Films." ''Irish Times.'' (26 August 1930): 6. * “Irish Amateur Film Society.” ''Dublin Evening Mail'' (30 August 1930): 2. * “Irish Productions Find Their Feet.” ''Memories in Focus''. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Dublin. 4 May 1995. Television. IED, RTÉ. * "Irish Girl Makes Film Name.” ''The Sunday Chronicle'' (6 July 1930): n.p. Norris Davidson file, Liam O’Laoghaire Archives. NLI * “Irish Playwright – Critic – Novelist Mary Manning Adams is Dead at 93. Obit. ''Playbill.'' 1 July 1999. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/irish-playwright-critic-novelist-mary-manning-adams-is-dead-at-93-82864 * Johnston, Denis. “3rd Omnibus X Book.” Denis Johnston Papers (MS 10066/181/95/194). TC * Manning, Mary. "Dublin-Cum-Elstree." ''Irish Statesman'' (30 November 1929): 254–56. * "The Fairchild Family at the Films.” ''Motley'' (November 1933): 12–14. * "Hail Veidt!" ''Motley'' (March 1933): 10–12. * “Mary Manning.” In ''Enter Certain Players'': ''Edwards-MacLiammóir and the Gate 1928-1978''. Ed. Peter Luke. Dublin: Dolmen Press 1978. 35–39. * "A Silent Interlude." ''Irish Statesman'' (28 September 1929): 72–73. * "The Voice of Ireland." ''Motley'' (February 1933): 14–15. * "What is the Wild West Saying?” ''Irish Statesman'' (22 February 1930): 496–98. * "Why Not a Repertory Cinema?" ''Motley'' (September 1932): 14–15. * “Mark de Wolfe Howe Dies; Lawyer, Historian Was 60.” Obit. ''The Harvard Crimson.'' (1 March 1967) http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1967/3/1/mark-de-wolfe-howe-dies-lawyer/ * “Mary M. Adams, 93; Irish Novelist and Playwright.” Obit. ''The Boston Globe'' (27 June 1999): 7. * “Mary Manning Howe Adams.” Obit. ''Irish Times'' (8 July 1999): 19. * “Producing Films in Ireland.” ''Irish Independent'' (26 August 1930): 10. * Programme, ''Guests of the Nation.'' 16 March 1960. ''Guests of the Nation'' clippings file. IED-TML * Rockett, Kevin. “Part One: History, Politics and Irish Cinema.” In Kevin Rockett, Luke Gibbons and John Hill, ''Cinema and Ireland''. London: Croom Helm, 1988. 1–126. * Rockett, Kevin and Emir Rockett. ''Irish Film and Television Research Online.'' 15 March 2012. http://www.tcd.ie/irishfilm/ * Trotter, Mary. ''Ireland’s National Theaters: Political Performance and the Origins of the Irish Dramatic Movement''. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2001.

Filmography

* A. Archival Filmography: Extant Film Titles: * 1. Mary Manning as Actress, Adapter, Company Co-founder, and Miscellaneous Crew ''By Accident''. Dir.: J. N. G. (Norris) Davidson, asst. dir./casting: Mary Manning, sc.: Norris Davidson (Irish Amateur Films IE 1930) cas.: C. Clarke-Clifford, Olive Purcell, Mary Manning, Paul Farrell, si, b&w, 16mm. Archive: IED, RTÉ. * 2. Mary Manning as Adapter, Company Co-founder and Miscellaneous Crew ''Guests of the Nation''. Dir.: Denis Johnston, adp./props: Mary Manning (Denis Johnston Productions IE 1935) cas.: Barry Fitzgerald, Frank Toolin, Cyril Jackson, Charles Maher, Georgina Roper, Fred Johnson, Shelah Richards, Cyril Cusack, Hilton Edwards, si, b&w, 35mm. Archive: IED, GBB. * 3. Mary Manning as Company Co-founder and Miscellaneous Crew ''Screening in the Rain''. Cam.: J. N. G. (Norris) Davidson, misc. crew: Mary Manning (Irish Amateur Films IE 1930) cas.: Mary O’Moore, Grace McLoughlin, Judge Johnston, Lord Longford, Hilton Edwards, Micheál MacLiamóir, si, b&w (tinted), 16mm. Archive: IED, RTÉ. * B. Filmography: Not Extant Film Titles: * 1. Mary Manning as Director and Company Co-founder ''Bank Holiday,'' 1930. * 2. Mary Manning as Company Co-founder and Miscellaneous Crew ''Pathetic Gazette,'' 1930.

Plays

* ''Go, Lovely Rose'' * ''Youth's The Season...?'' (Published in ''Plays of Changing Ireland'', edited by Curtis Canfield ew York: Macmillan, 1936) * ''Storm over Wicklow'' * ''Happy Family'' * ''The Voice of Shem: Passages from Finnegans Wake Freely Adapted for the Theatre'' (London: Faber & Faber, 1958)

Books

* Mount Venus * Lovely People * The Last Chronicles of Ballyfungus