Ellen Fitzsimon (1805 – 27 January 1883) was an Irish poet from a politically prominent family. Her work was published in major periodicals, and at least two of her poems became songs associated with the

Irish diaspora The Irish diaspora () refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner, Roy; Meeder, Sven (2017). The Irish ...

Early life

Ellen Fitzsimon was born Ellen Bridget O'Connell at Derrynane House,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, the third child and eldest daughter of Daniel and Mary O'Connell. She was well educated and spoke a number of languages. She was a close political ally of her father, and often included her maiden name in her published bylines, to remind readers of their connection.

Literary career

Fitzsimon's poems appeared in '' Irish Monthly'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'', '' The Month,'' ''Duffy's Fireside Magazine'', and the ''Dublin Review''. A single book of poems, ''Derrynane Abbey in 1832, and other Poems'', was published in 1863. Her sentimental verses about Irish emigration were described as "pathetic and beautiful compositions" in 1911. She was said to be working on a biography of her father in her later years.

Publications

* ''Derrynane Abbey in 1832, and other poems'' (1863) * "Pay for the Ounces: A Legend of Italy" (1864, story) * "Sonnet" (1873) * "The Legend of St. Catherine of Alexandria" (1873) * "The Pleasant Places of the Long Ago" (1874) * "The Bird at Mass" (1874) * "The Song of the Irish Emigrant in America" (1907)

Personal life

On 25 July 1825, O'Connell married Christopher Fitzsimon, Esq., of Glencullen,

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

. Her husband was

Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper The Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper was a civil servant within the Irish Chancery in the Dublin Castle administration. His duties corresponded to the offices of Clerk of the Crown and Clerk of the Hanaper in the English Chancery. Latterly, the ...

and MP for

. The couple had thirteen children, five of whom died in infancy. Their daughter Ellen married Charles Bianconi Jr., son of entrepreneur Charles Bianconi. Fitzsimon's husband died in 1856, and she died in 1883, in her seventies, at her daughter's house in Blackheath. She is buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

. She was survived by four of her children: Kathleen (Mrs. George Ludlow Kennedy Hewett), Ellen (Mrs. Bianconi), Henry, and Christopher. Her grave is in

in London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimon, Ellen Bridget 1805 births 1883 deaths People from the Iveragh Peninsula Irish women poets 19th-century Irish poets 19th-century Irish women writers 19th-century Irish writers