Matthew Russell SJ (1834–1912) was an Irish Jesuit, known as a writer, poet and editor.

Life

He was born at Ballybot,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, into a Catholic family, the son of Arthur Russell and his wife Margaret Hamill, née Mullan; he was the brother of

Charles Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen Charles Arthur Russell, Baron Russell of Killowen, (10 November 1832 – 10 August 1900) was an Irish statesman of the 19th century, and Lord Chief Justice of England. He was the first Roman Catholic to serve as Lord Chief Justice since the Ref ...

and nephew of

Charles William Russell Charles William Russell (14 May 1812 – 26 February 1880) was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman and scholar. Early life He was born at Killough, County Down, Ireland, a descendant of the Russells who held the Barony of Killough of Quoniamstown ...

. After education at

Castleknock College Castleknock College ( ga, Coláiste Caisleán Cnucha) is a voluntary Vincentian secondary school for boys, situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, west of Dublin city centre, Ireland. Founded in 1835 by Philip Dowley, it is one o ...

and time as a seminarian at

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, he joined the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in 1857. Ordained priest in 1864, Russell then taught at

Crescent College Crescent College Comprehensive SJ, formerly known as the College of the Sacred Heart, is a secondary school located on of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland. The 2016 ''Su ...

, outside

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, to 1873. From 1873 he was 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 ...

, from 1877 a priest at Saint Francis Xavier Church.

''The Irish Monthly''

'' The Irish Monthly'' was founded by Russell in 1873. The initial title was ''Catholic Ireland''. The magazine in this form was founded by Russell with Thomas Aloysius Finlay. Finlay taught at Crescent College from 1873 to 1876, and was co-editor with Russell at the outset. A memoir of Russell by

Rosa Mulholland Rosa Mulholland, Lady Gilbert (1841 – 21 April 1921) was an Irish novelist, poet and playwright. Life She was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr. Joseph Stevenson Mulholland of Newry. Originally, Mulholland wished to become a painter, ...

(as Lady Gilbert) records a conversation of Richard O'Kennedy with him, around 1871, in which the phrase "Catholic Ireland" and a religious periodical were linked. Russell's conception was tied up with the

Catholic devotion Catholic devotions are particular customs, rituals, and practices of worship of God or honour of the saints which are in addition to the liturgy of the Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops describes devotions as "exp ...

of the

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...

. Around 1864 he had been interested in the ''

Messenger of the Sacred Heart The ''Messenger of the Sacred Heart'' is a Roman Catholic periodical; the print organ of the Apostleship of Prayer, a pious association founded in nineteenth century France by the Jesuits. There are many editions in various languages, promoting dev ...

'' and had contacted the editor of its English version, William Meagher (or Maher, another anglicisation of

Ó Meachair Ó Meachair or O'Meachair (anglicised as Mahar, Maher, Mahir, Marr, Meagar, Meagher, Meaher, O'Maher and O'Meagher) is a Gaelic Irish surname. Ó Meachair literally means grandson/descendant of ('O' prefix) the kind, generous or hospitable (Meachair ...

, 1823–1877). In the first issue (July 1873) it was made clear the importance laid on 30 March 1873, when a consecration of Ireland to the Sacred Heart was performed. Russell renewed contact with Meagher, asking for permission to launch an Irish version of the ''Messenger'', but was rebuffed. He continued under the ''Catholic Ireland'' title, with the support of the Jesuit Provincial Nicholas Walsh. Declan O'Keeffe considers that the contributions received dictated a change in editorial policy away from the devotional. The change of title to ''Irish Monthly'' has been attributed to persuasion from friends and supporters, who included Lady Monteagle, daughter of the Protestant bishop Samuel Butcher. It occurred in 1875. From 1875 Russell had some editorial assistance given by Edmund Joseph O'Reilly. Staples of the magazine were novelists such as Margaret Brew and

M. E. Francis M. E. Francis was the pen name of Mary Elizabeth Blundell (née Sweetman; 1859 – 9 March 1930) who was a prolific Irish novelist. She was described as the best known woman novelist of the day. Biography Mary Elizabeth Sweetman was born at Ki ...

in serial publication. An example from 1875–6 was ''The Chances of War'', Finlay's novel on

Owen Roe O'Neill Owen Roe O'Neill (Irish: ''Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill;'' – 1649) was a Gaelic Irish soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster. O'Neill left Ireland at a young age and spent most of his life as a mercenary in the Spanish ...

, under the pseudonym Thomas Whitelock.

Irish Literary Revival

William Delany, a friend of Russell's, noted the work he did in bringing young writers to notice.

Katharine Tynan Katharine Tynan (23 January 1859 – 2 April 1931)Clarke, Frances (2013)"Hinkson (née Tynan), Katharine Tynan" in ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). was an Irish writer, known mainly for her novels and p ...

considered he provided a unique literary focal point in Dublin.

Works

*''Emmanuel: a book of eucharistic verses'' (1878) *''The Idylls of Killowen: a Soggorth's Secular Verses'' (1898)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Matthew 1834 births 1912 deaths Irish Jesuits Irish poets Irish magazine editors