JOURNAL OF TRE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAt· socfE'i'Y. 21 -~- ·---- through his "Paradis€ Alley", "I Can't ·the ·foremost Anglo-Irish poets of the Help La.ttghin", and his articles in var- nineteenth century. This wayward prolous ne.w:sa;pers and magazines; and _so duct of Kilmacrenan was sent ·by his I pass on to his Ill-fated prototype of paper to cover the O'Connell Centenary the nineteenth century. Barney in Dublin, in August, 1875, and while Maglone was one of the pen-names used there over-indulged In · his favourit~ by Robert A. Wilson who might be called liquid:· A few ·days later he was found tne Mangan of C'ounty Donegal. Wilson, dying·in bis room, in Belfast, and a wave the son of a Presbyterian · coastguard of sorrow ·swept over that city when his and a very cultured English mother, was, death was announced. A· huge con- ! believe, born at Malirihead about the course followed his remains to the city y:ear 1820. Soon afterwards the family cemetery where a very tasteful monumoved-some say, to FaJcarragh, others ment to his memory was later erected to Dunfanaghy, but all are agreed that by a publlc subscription. Raymonterdooney was the place where he received his early education. His It is a far cry from Belfast to Buffalo. .mother wished him to become a clergy- U.S.A., but from there. in 1911, James man, and took such ~ great interest in Noble Johnson produced a beautifu1 bis studies that Wilson, at a very early little volume of noems ·entitled "Donegal age, acquired 'Proficient knowledge of Memories,'' which I am happy to say is -languages varying from Gaelic to on . the shelves of the C'ounty. iLl.ibrary · H<ehrew. Fate decreed otherwise. for not far from John O'Neill's book of wrse Wl.lson broke with his family, and ran "The Rock of Arranmore/' and Wllllam away to take an appointment as a Harkln's interesting "Illustrated Handteacher at Ballycastle in county Antrim. book of the Scenery and -Antiquities of ·. Later he made hts way to the New World North-Western Donegal,'' with its his·· where he became a journalist with the tory, folklore and folk-songs ·from Glen ".Boston Republic." He next turned up Swllly to Kincasslagh. It also has the in Ennisklllen where he was connected novel. "The Lady Next Door," which has with the ·local .Press, and from there he two chapters .descriptive of Dunfanaghy, went to Dti1blin to join Charles Gavan Dunfanaghy of the laaO's i.$ ~lso well deDutry as Sub-Editor of "The Nation." plcted in Mrs. Riddle's "The Nun's He held this post for some time, and Curse"~an excellent story which was many of his contributions are signed a best seller towards the close of the "Erin Og" - "Young Ireland" - and last century. During these years also "Jonathan OMman." Ill-health corn- a Cambridge Don. R. K. w. li:dwards, pelled him to resign from this post, and who was a Matbematics Lecturer in il Mr. Trimble of Ennisk1llen. on hearing London University, wrote a very fine that Wilson was in a parlous state, novel. ."The Maid ·of Innfsh-Uig," with journeyed to Dublin and ·brought him Tory as the 1background to a very finely home with him and made him the Editor wroui<ht and amusinir plot, in whfoh the of his paper. His humour and caustic islanders are well described and thetr · wit soon made himself · and his news- .dialect well rendered. paper ·famous all ·over Ulster. In 1865 he was offered and accented a post with In 1881 Ke2an Paul. :published the "The Belfast Morning News," where his second edition of W. Hart's "Memories .outout of humour under the pen-names of a Month amongst the Mere Irish." of "Letters of Barney Maglone to his Its ore(ace. gtvns a very amusing account Cousin in Amerikay," and "Notions -of of the difficulties ·of travel in Donegal Things" sent the circulation of that in those days, and the work itself is a paner rocketing skywards. This output falt.hfully reproduced record Of legends, of satire and humour was. unfortunatdy, f(llk-lore and a.necdotes told by his toPdcaJ and local. and of little interest Ghillie as they ftn1shed t.he rivers snd to-day. The same, however, cannot be lakes arotmd Shee'J)haven B;ay. Dr. said of his verse. for he wrot" some flaw- Mahaffy, at a meeting of the Royal Irish less sonr.i;s which the late F. J. Biggar Academy. described one o"f these yarns and Dr. J . s. Cirone collected into ::i. small .as the funniest Irish stor:v in print volume t>ritltle.d uReliques of Barney "Oerryreele," published in 1886. by the Maglone." He himself tn 1871 published same author, · is · a continuation of the "·An Almeynack for All Ireland and who~ "Memories/' and some time ago a ever else wants It." which contains some travell!ng bookseller .had a number of of his moi;t valuabie verse. From early copies.for sale throughout the county. manhood his copvivlaltt:v procured him hosts of frtenqs, and with them a fond- Ramelton should be familiar to most ness for l1quors which were his ultimate of you in Mason's "Four Feathers," but ruin. Its constant demands caused for me It is more interesting as the him to write hurriedly and superftcia11y birth-i:>1ace of 'F1.osamund Langbrf.dge." -and had he paused to study and perfect She was born in her father's rectory at his art he mignt have become one of Glenalla, an~ ner novels, sueh as '"!'he
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