Cathal O'Byrne (1867 – 1 August 1957) 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 ...

singer, poet and writer.

Early life

O'Byrne was born and raised at Balmoral County Down, the son of parents from County Wicklow. He was employed at a grocery on Beersbridge Road in Ballymacarret where he would befriend

Joseph Devlin Joseph Devlin (13 February 1871 – 18 January 1934) was an Irish journalist and influential nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Irish Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons. Later Devlin was an MP and lead ...

. He settled in the Falls Road area of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

where he lived with his sister in a house at 43 Cavendish Street. In 2004, the

Ulster History Circle The Ulster History Circle is a heritage organisation that administers Blue Plaques for the area that encompasses the province of Ulster on the island of Ireland. It is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation, placing commemorative plaques in pub ...

placed a blue plaque on this house in his memory.

Career

He joined the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

and became a popular singer and storyteller. He was a stage manager of the Ulster Theater and would even become involved with the

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

, likely a member of military council. In 1921 O'Byrne traveled to America as a freelance journalist and opened a bookstore. He would return to Ireland after raising $100,000 for victims of the Belfast riots through White Cross. He was a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and even interviewed the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. Known for his dandified dress style, Cathal remained a bachelor his entire life. O'Byrne suffered from a stroke one month before his death on 1 August 1957. He is remembered as an important figure in the

Celtic revival The Celtic Revival (also referred to as the Celtic Twilight) is a variety of movements and trends in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries that see a renewed interest in aspects of Celtic culture. Artists and writers drew on the traditions of Gael ...

in Northern Ireland. His most famous book is entitled ''As I Roved Out: A Book of the North''. O'Byrne's poem "A lullaby" from " Lane o' the Thrushes" was set to words by an Irish composer of the same time,

Hamilton Harty Sir Herbert Hamilton Harty (4 December 1879 – 19 February 1941) was an Irish composer, conductor, pianist and organist. After an early career as a church organist in his native Ireland, Harty moved to London at about age 20, soon becoming a w ...

, in his "Six Songs of Ireland".

Published works

*The Grey Feet of the Wind (1917) *''From Far Green Hills'' (1935) *''The Burthen and the Returned Swank''(1940) *''As I Roved Out: A Book of the North'' (1946) *''Ashes on the Hearth'' (1948) *''Pilgrim in Italy'' (1949)

References

External links

* *
O'Byrne at Ulster History Circle
1867 births 1957 deaths Musicians from Belfast Male songwriters from Northern Ireland 20th-century dramatists and playwrights from Northern Ireland Male dramatists and playwrights from Northern Ireland Male poets from Northern Ireland 20th-century journalists from Northern Ireland Roman Catholic writers 20th-century poets from Northern Ireland 20th-century songwriters from Northern Ireland {{NorthernIreland-bio-stub