Early Life
The Young Pádraic Colum, by John Butler Yeats
This 1907 sketch of the young Pádraic Colum is by the artist John Butler Yeats. It is included in the first edition of Colum's play, The Fiddler's House, printed in 1909 in Dublin, by Maunsel & Company.
The Young Pádraic Colum, by John Butler Yeats
The Young Pádraic Colum, by John Butler Yeats
This 1907 sketch of the young Pádraic Colum is by the artist John Butler Yeats. It is included in the first edition of Colum's play, The Fiddler's House, printed in 1909 in Dublin, by Maunsel & Company.
Pádraic Colum is one of the most well-known writers and writers associated with the Irish Literary Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was a poet, novelist, dramatist, folklorist and biographer. In particular, he played a strong role in promoting Irish culture and literature in the United States.
Colum was born in Longford Workhouse on December 8 1881, where his father, Patrick Colum, was the master. He was the first of eight children.
Longford Workhouse
The Irish poet Pádraic Colum was born in 1881 at Longford Workhouse, where his father was workhouse master.
Image courtesy of www.workhouses.org.ukLongford Workhouse
Image courtesy of www.workhouses.org.uk
Image courtesy of www.workhouses.org.uk
Longford Workhouse
The Irish poet Pádraic Colum was born in 1881 at Longford Workhouse, where his father was workhouse master.
Image courtesy of www.workhouses.org.ukIn 1887, Patrick Colum lost his job at Longford Workhouse and moved to the US to join the Colorado Goldrush. During his father's absence, Pádraic was reared in north Longford where he became familiar with Granard, Colmcille and Molly.
The Original Abbey Theatre
Pádraic Colum was a member of the first Board of the Abbey Theatre, along with the founders Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats, and fellow writer J.M. Synge.
Courtesy of: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/The Original Abbey Theatre
Courtesy of: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/
Courtesy of: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/
The Original Abbey Theatre
Pádraic Colum was a member of the first Board of the Abbey Theatre, along with the founders Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats, and fellow writer J.M. Synge.
Courtesy of: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/On his father's return from the US in 1892, the family moved to Glasthule, Co. Dublin, where Colum's father worked at Glasthule Railway Station. Pádraic attended a local school there. Upon passing his exams in 1898, he was awarded a clerkship in the Irish Railway Clearing House until 1903.
Between 1898 and 1903, Pádraic Colum joined the Gaelic League and was a member of the first board in the Abbey Theatre, along with the directors Lady Gregory, W.B. Yeats and J.M. Synge.
Later Life
Handwritten Poem by Pádraic Colum
A handwritten poem by Pádraic Colum. This was included in a letter addressed to Thomas McDonagh, a friend of Colum's and one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.
Handwritten Poem by Pádraic Colum
Handwritten Poem by Pádraic Colum
A handwritten poem by Pádraic Colum. This was included in a letter addressed to Thomas McDonagh, a friend of Colum's and one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.
Pádraic Colum was awarded a five-year scholarship to University College Dublin by a wealthy American named Thomas Kelly.In 1912, he married Mary Gunning Maguire, whom he first met when she was a student at University College Dublin. She was a former fiancée of Thomas McDonagh, a leader of the 1916 rising. Colum, McDonagh, Gunning Maguire and David Houston had launched the literary journal The Irish Review together in 1911. Although it published work by distinguished authors, it was short lived.
The couple moved to America in 1914 and settled in New York. Colum continued to write, producing numerous volumes of poetry and supplementary anthologies. He also wrote many books for children and published two biographies.
The Colums lived in France for a period in the early 1930s. On returning to the US, both Pádraic and Mary worked as teachers of literature at Columbia University. Pádraic Colum died in Enfield, Connecticut on 11 January 1972 and was buried beside his wife at Sutton in Dublin.