May O'Flaherty (born Mary Angela Flaherty, 14 May 1904 – 27 March 1991) was an Irish book store proprietor, known as the owner of Parsons Bookshop at

Baggot Street Baggot Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location The street runs from Merrion Row (near St. Stephen's Green) to the northwestern end of Pembroke Road. It crosses the Grand Canal near Haddington Road. It is divided into two sections: ...

Bridge in Dublin's southside. ( Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence) Through the shop's

writer-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

schemes, and general environment, she patronised and befriended prominent Irish writers such as Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Behan, and Seamus Heaney.

Background

May was born on 14 May 1904 in Youghal, County Cork, to Thomas Flaherty, a Royal Irish Constabulary sergeant, originally from

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 ...

, and Catherine (née Drummy) O'Flaherty, from Kilmichael, County Cork. The family moved from Youghal to Dublin, due to Thomas' placement, living in

Arran Quay The Dublin quays () refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of the ...

and near the North Circular Road. May worked in a furrier's on Grafton Street for a time.

Parsons Bookshop

O'Flaherty purchased Parsons general store on

Bridge in 1949. The purchase was somewhat inadvertent, as her intention was to be in the purchase auction in order to inflate the price. Books were a small part of the business early on, attracting custom from locally based poet Patrick Kavanagh. At Kavanagh's suggestion, a deal was struck with Oxford University Press and the book offering improved over time. Kavanagh's presence changed from that of a customer to a guest as his interactions with Parsons became more familiar. Other writers followed with Brendan Behan, and

Brian O'Nolan Brian O'Nolan ( ga, Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth ce ...

among the most notable early on. Less-established writers thrived in the environment with Hugh Leonard,

Michael Hartnett Michael Hartnett ( ga, Mícheál Ó hAirtnéide) (18 September 1941 – 13 October 1999) was an Irish poet who wrote in both English and Irish. He was one of the most significant voices in late 20th-century Irish writing and has been called "Mu ...

, Peter Costello and Adrian Kenny. The area, and the cultural movement associated with it, not least with Parsons, became known as " Baggotonia". When Kavanagh died in 1967, O'Flaherty created a shrine to his work in the shop. Later writers supported by the store included Paul Durcan, Seamus Heaney, Brendan Kennelly, John Banville, Ben Kiely and Maeve Binchy. Mary Lavin stated "Parsons is my parlour." In April 1989, O'Flaherty sold the leasehold for IR£156,000, drawing media attention. In 2004, the Monaghan Association erected a plaque commemorating Kavanagh on the wall of the former Parsons premises.

Later life and death

In retirement, O'Flaherty lived in the suburban town of Dun Laoghaire, before moving to a nursing home in Dalkey, where she died on 27 March 1991. She was interred in Glasnevin Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OFlaherty, May 1904 births 1991 deaths People from Youghal Businesspeople from Dublin (city) Businesspeople from County Cork 20th-century Irish women 20th-century Irish businesswomen 20th-century Irish businesspeople Irish patrons of literature Patrons of the arts Irish booksellers Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery