''The Bell'' was an Irish monthly magazine of literature and social comment.

History

''The Bell'' was founded in 1940 by

Seán Ó Faoláin Seán Proinsias Ó Faoláin (27 February 1900 – 20 April 1991) was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Irish culture. A short-story writer of international repute, he was also a leading commentator and critic. Biography Ó ...

. Amongst the contributors to its first edition in 1940 were

Elizabeth Bowen Elizabeth Bowen CBE (; 7 June 1899 – 22 February 1973) was an Irish-British novelist and short story writer notable for her books about the "big house" of Irish landed Protestants as well her fiction about life in wartime London. Life ...

, Flann O'Brien,

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel ''Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life th ...

, Frank O'Connor, and Jack B. Yeats. ''The Bell'' was notable, particularly under the editorship of Seán Ó Faoláin, as an outspoken

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

voice at a time of political and intellectual stagnation, fiercely critical of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

, Gaelic revivalist ideology,

clericalism Clericalism is the application of the formal, church-based, leadership or opinion of ordained clergy in matters of either the Church or broader political and sociocultural import. Clericalism is usually, if not always, used in a pejorative sense ...

, and general parochialism. Under

Peadar O'Donnell Peadar O'Donnell ( ga, Peadar Ó Domhnaill; 22 February 1893 – 13 May 1986) was one of the foremost radicals of 20th-century Ireland. O'Donnell became prominent as an Irish republican, socialist activist, politician and writer. Early life Pea ...

(1946–54), ''The Bell'' became more left‐wing in content and irregular in frequency of publication but continued to produce material of high quality.

W. R. Rodgers William Robert Rodgers (1909 – 1969), known as Bertie, and born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was probably best known as a poet, but was also a prose essayist, a book reviewer, a radio broadcaster and script writer, a lecturer and, latterly, ...

and Louis MacNeice were among the authors whose work sustained the magazine's connection with cultural activities in Ulster, in addition to which it repeatedly featured writing from various parts of Europe. In the course of its fourteen-year career, ''The Bell'' was variously subtitled "A Survey of Irish Life", "A Magazine of Creative Fiction", and "A Magazine of Ireland Today"; its concern with social and political matters gave rise to incisive commentaries on such topics as state censorship in Ireland, on which

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

wrote in an issue of 1945, the restrictive influence of the Church, and reactionary tendencies in Irish literature. Having undergone financial difficulties which resulted in its temporary closure between 1948 and 1950, it finally ceased appearing in 1954. Along with ''

The Dublin Magazine ''The Dublin Magazine'' was an Irish literature, Irish literary journal founded and edited by the Irish poetry, poet Seumas O'Sullivan (real name James Sullivan Starkey) and published in ''Dublin'' by "Dublin Publishers, Ltd., 9 Commercial Buil ...

'', ''The Bell'' is accounted the most important literary and intellectual journal of Ireland in the twentieth century.

Contributors

''The Bell'' was notable as an outlet for new writers such as

Michael McLaverty Michael McLaverty (5 July 1904 – 22 March 1992) was an Irish writer of novels and short stories.James Plunkett James Plunkett Kelly, or James Plunkett (21 May 1920 – 28 May 2003), was an Irish writer. He was educated at Synge Street CBS. Kelly grew up among the Dublin working class and they, along with the petty bourgeoisie and lower intelligentsia ...

. The bell also fostered many young Irish writers and artists from the 1940s and 1950s, when contributors included

Anthony Cronin Anthony Gerard Richard Cronin (28 December 1923 – 27 December 2016) was an Irish poet, arts activist, biographer, commentator, critic, editor and barrister. Early life and family Cronin was born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford on 28 December ...

(who went on to edit the magazine), John Montague,

Thomas Kinsella Thomas Kinsella (4 May 192822 December 2021) was an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher. Born outside Dublin, Kinsella attended University College Dublin before entering the civil service. He began publishing poetry in the early 1950s ...

Val Mulkerns Val Mulkerns (14 February 1925 – 10 March 2018) was an Irish writer and member of Aosdána. Her first novel, ''A Time Outworn'', was released to critical acclaim in Ireland in 1952, followed by a series of novels and short stories in the 1970s ...

Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...

Patrick Swift Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

, Michael Farrell (under the pseudonym "Gulliver") and

Conor Cruise O'Brien Donal Conor David Dermot Donat Cruise O'Brien (3 November 1917 – 18 December 2008), often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish diplomat, politician, writer, historian and academic, who served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs from 1973 ...

. Musicians such as Brian Boydell and

Aloys Fleischmann Aloys Fleischmann (13 April 1910 – 21 July 1992) was an Irish composer, musicologist, professor and conductor. Life Fleischmann was born in Munich to Ireland-based German parents. Both were musicians, both graduates of the Royal Academy of Mu ...

also contributed.

References

Sources and further reading

*James Plunket Obituary, ''The Guardian'

*Peadar O'Donnell. Archive

*''Irish Times''. When Anthony Cronin was edito

* ''The Bell Index'

searchable database compiled at Framingham State University, USA, and placed with open access on its website providing the title and author of every item published between 1954 and 1940 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, The Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Defunct magazines published in Ireland Literary magazines published in Ireland Magazines established in 1940 Magazines disestablished in 1954 Mass media in Belfast