Valentine James O'Hara (8 February 1875 – 8 October 1941) was a noted

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 ...

author and authority on

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and the Baltic States in the 1920s.

Early life

Valentine James O'Hara was born on 8 February 1875 in Bernere,

Portarlington, County Laois Portarlington, historically called Cooletoodera (from ), is a town on the border of County Laois and County Offaly, Ireland. The River Barrow forms the border. The town was recorded in the 2016 census as having a population of 8,368. History ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Son of Thomas O'Hara, he had one brother (Charles (1871–1955)) and two sisters (Mary b 1877 and Elizabeth b 1879). His early education was at Stonyhurst College, near

Clitheroe Clitheroe () is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England; it is located north-west of Manchester. It is near the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists visiting the area. In 2018, the Cl ...

in rural

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. He spent two years at Stonyhurst studying Rudiments and Grammar at this Jesuit College. He finished his education at

Queen's College, Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

. Ten years later he returned to Stonyhurst College and taught languages before leaving to devote himself to literary work.

Later career

Valentine was a long term resident in the old

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. He travelled extensively all over

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and served on the Anglo-Russian Committee in Petrograd and the Inter-Allied Trade Commission in Stockholm. He was imprisoned under the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

regime and left Russia in 1918. He enlisted in the

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers R ...

for their North Russian Expedition. He was demobilised in 1919 at the request of the Foreign Office, and was appointed to the British Political Mission to the Baltic States (

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, Latvia, and Lithuania). His two best known books are "Anthony O'Hara, Knight of Malta" which is an interesting account of a distinguished kinsman of the author, in the writing of which Valentine had access to the Tyrawley papers at Annaghmore House, near

Collooney Collooney or Coloony () is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. Toponymy Collooney is thought to derive from . Reverend Terrence O'Rorke has previously also suggested ''Culmaine'', as Collooney is designated this way in such works as ''the annals ...

, County Sligo. He also wrote "Russia" in 1925 in collaboration with Nikolai Makeev. This was a much quoted and authoritative account of the late 19th century history of the country. He was a frequent contributor to Nineteenth Century, Contemporary, Empire, and

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

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, Studio, etc. and a member of the Press Club, London, E.C.4. He regularly wrote letters to

the Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

. On 25 Jun 1919 he married Florence Annie Butt, daughter of William Butt, a farmer in

Ampthill Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...

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. They had no children. He lived the remainder of his life in Kensington and died on 8 Oct 1941 at

Princess Beatrice Hospital The Princess Beatrice Hospital was a London hospital located in Earl's Court, which operated from 1887 to 1978, latterly as a maternity hospital. History The hospital was founded in 1887 as part of the celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Golden ...

, Kensington. The cause of death was

pneumonitis Pneumonitis describes general inflammation of lung tissue. Possible causative agents include radiation therapy of the chest, exposure to medications used during chemo-therapy, the inhalation of debris (e.g., animal dander), aspiration, herbicide ...

of both lungs with

cardiac failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. His lengthy obituary in the Stonyhurst College Magazine (July 1943) shows his generous nature by stating: "He was the donor to Stonyhurst of a collection of valuable books, and it was through him that the late Mr. Hamilton Minchin gave us his large collection of books on art in 1933. Mr. O'Hara was also the donor of the unique painting of

King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...

in Coronation robes." He has an entry in the British Biographical Index reprinted from the Catholic Who's Who and Year Book 1930.

Bibliography

Books and general articles

* ''Esthonia: past and present''. 1922. * ''The Lithuanian Forest''. 1922. * ''The Foreign Office And Lithuania''. Contemporary Review, Vol. 125 (June 1924): 745-752. * ''Russia'' pp. xii. 346. Ernest Benn: London, 1925. In collaboration with Nikolai MAKEEV. * ''Anthony O'Hara, Knight of Malta, Memoir of a Russian Diehard'', pp. xii. 228. Richards: London, 1938. * ''An historical sketch on Poland'', 1863-1923, by Valentine J. O’Hara. pp. xix. 441. T. Fisher Unwin: London, 1923. contained within Poland by William Richard MORFILL

Oxford Journal articles

* The Lithuanian Bison: A Dying Race - 1921; S12-Ix: 509 - 510. * Lazenki Palace, Warsaw: Latin Inscriptions - 1922; S12-X: 151. * The English "H": Celtic, Latn And German Influences - 1922; S12-X: 32. * Inscriptions On An Icon - 1922; S12-X: 117 - 118. * Use Of "At" Or "In" With Placenames - 1922; S12-X: 234 - 235. * ‘A Literary Find’ - 1922; S12-X: 487 - 488. * English Travellers' References To Carrara - 1923; S13-I: 152 - 153. * Inscriptions On Misericord Seats In Whalley Parish Church - 1923; S13-I: 31. * Ct. Pietro Verri - 1923; S13-I: 153. * Roodlofts - 1923; S13-I: 235. * Lillingstone Dayrell, Ancient Monumental Brass - 1923; S13-I: 252. * Heraldic Beasts - 1925; Cxlix: 369. * Religion And Common Speech - 1926; Cl: 117. * Pierre De Coulevain - 1930; 158: 331. * Order Of The Holy Sepulchre - 1932; Clxiii: 207. * "The Thief Of Touchino" - 1934; Clxvi: 316. * Lazenki Palace, Warsaw: Latin Inscriptions - published posthumously 1965; 12: 151.Notes and Queries, Oxford Journals

References

External links

Stonyhurst College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Valentine 1875 births 1941 deaths People educated at Stonyhurst College Alumni of the University of Galway People from County Laois Irish non-fiction writers People from Portarlington, County Laois