Edna O'Brien, Irish novelist and short story writer, was born on this day in County Clare in 1930. Born to strictly religious parents, O'Brien described her childhood as suffocating. She was educated from 1941 to 1946 by the Sisters of Mercy. She then went on to receive a license in pharmacy in 1950. O'Brien turned to writing and published "The County Girls" in 1960. It was the … [Read more...] about December 15, 1930
October 1, 1930
On this day in 1930, Richard Harris, famous for his portrayal of King Arthur in 1967's Camelot and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, was born in Limerick, Ireland. Harris attended the Jesuit Crescent College. He had a promising career as a rugby player but fell ill with tuberculosis. He hoped to become a director and directed his first production, Odet's … [Read more...] about October 1, 1930
February 28, 1929
Irish poet John Montague was born on this day in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York. During the Depression years, Montague was sent back to Ireland and was raised in Tyrone by his two aunts. He went on to study at University College Dublin in 1946, where he was first inspired to write poetry by a post-war atmosphere in Dublin. Several of his poems were published in literary magazines. … [Read more...] about February 28, 1929
May 24, 1928
William Trevor, short story-writer and novelist, was born in Co. Cork. Trevor, who has won the Whitbread Prize three times and has been short-listed five times for the Booker Prize, is considered one of Ireland's greatest writers. In a rare interview with Irish America magazine in 1992 Trevor said, "I think we Irish are a nation of storytellers. If you study the way we argue, … [Read more...] about May 24, 1928
March 19, 1928
Actor Patrick McGoohan was born in Astoria, Queens in New York City on this day in 1928. Raised Roman Catholic, McGoohan was born to Irish emigrants, and the family soon moved back to County Leitrim, Ireland. He left school at sixteen, eventually finding work at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, in England. Orson Welles was so impressed with McGoohan's performance in a West End … [Read more...] about March 19, 1928