John Francis O'Donnell (c. 1837 – 17 May 1874) was an Irish journalist and poet.

Life

O'Donnell was born in the city of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, the son of a shopkeeper, and was educated by the Christian Brothers. In his seventeenth year, having acquired a knowledge of shorthand, he joined as a reporter the staff of ''The Munster News'', a bi-weekly paper published in Limerick. At the same time he began to contribute verse to ''

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 organ of the

Young Ireland Young Ireland (, ) was a political movement, political and cultural movement, cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Grouped around the Dublin weekly ''The Nation (Irish news ...

party, and continued to write prose and poetry for it until his death, twenty years later. After spending two years as reporter on ''The Munster News'', O'Donnell was appointed sub-editor on ''The Tipperary Examiner'', published in

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

; in 1860 he moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he obtained an appointment on ''The Universal News'', a weekly paper of Roman Catholic and Irish nationalist opinion. He also contributed verse to ''

Chambers's Journal ''Chambers's Edinburgh Journal'' was a weekly 16-page magazine started by William Chambers in 1832. The first edition was dated 4 February 1832, and priced at one penny. Topics included history, religion, language, and science. William was so ...

'' and ''

All the Year Round ''All the Year Round'' was a British weekly literary magazine founded and owned by Charles Dickens, published between 1859 and 1895 throughout the United Kingdom. Edited by Dickens, it was the direct successor to his previous publication '' Ho ...

''.

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, who then edited the latter journal, wrote the young poet an encouraging letter, and showed kindly interest in him.

Dublin, and return to London

In 1862 O'Donnell joined in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

the editorial staff of ''The Nation'', then edited by A. M. Sullivan, and also acted as editor of '' Duffy's Hibernian Magazine'', a monthly publication; but, with the restlessness which characterised him through life, he was again in London in 1864 as editor of ''The Universal News'', and the next year he became sub-editor of ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic Church, Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by ...

''. He retained the post until 1868. At this time the

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

movement was convulsing the country. It is uncertain whether O'Donnell was a member, but he was one of its ablest propagandists in the press. He wrote, with passionate nationalism, numerous poems which, under the ''noms de guerre'' of "Caviare" and "Monkton West", he contributed to the Dublin national journals. He also acted as London correspondent of '' The Irish People'', the organ of the Fenian movement, which, with John O'Leary as its editor, was founded in November 1863, and was suppressed by the government in September 1865. In September 1873 O'Donnell obtained an appointment in the London office of the

agent-general An Agent-General ( or , masculine and feminine respectively) is the representative in cities abroad of the government of a Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province or an States and territories of Australia, Australian state and, h ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. He died, after a brief illness, on 7 May 1874, aged 37, and was buried at

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 ...

, London.

Publications

Absorbed in journalism, O'Donnell found little time for purely literary work. ''The Emerald Wreath'', a collection of his prose and verse, published in Dublin as a Christmas annual in 1865, and ''Memories of the Irish Franciscans'', a volume of verse (1871), were his only substantial contributions to literature. Under the auspices of the Southwark Irish Literary Society, O'Donnell's poems were published in 1891, and his grave was marked by a

Celtic cross upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the British Isles and Western Europe in the Early Middle Ages. It became widespread through its u ...

References

Attribution *

External links

"Who was John Francis O'Donnell?"
in ''Limerick's Life'' {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Donnell, John Francis 1830s births 1874 deaths 19th-century Irish poets 19th-century Irish journalists Writers from Limerick (city) Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery