George A. Birmingham was the pen

Pen

A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...

 name of James Owen Hannay (16 July 1865 - 2 February 1950), Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 clergyman and prolific novelist.

Life and career

He was born in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

, ordained in 1889, as a Church of Ireland (Anglican) minister and served as rector of Holy Trinity Church, Westport in County Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

. His early writings raised the ire of nationalist Catholics, and he withdrew from the Gaelic League in the wake of ongoing protests about the tour of his successful play General John Regan

General John Regan (play)

General John Regan is a comedy play by the Irish writer George A. Birmingham. A confidence trickster convinces a small Irish town that a statue out to be erected to one of its natives who is claimed to have led the independence movement of a South American country, closely modelled on Bernardo...

. He became rector of Kildare parish from 1918 to 1920, and after serving as chaplain to the Viceroy, he joined the British ambassadorial team in Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

 in 1922. He returned to officiate at Mells, Somerset

Mells, Somerset

Mells is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, near the town of Frome.The parish includes the village of Vobster which had a coal mine of the same name on the Somerset coalfield and quarry, both of which are now disused. The old quarry is now used as a diving centre...

 from 1924 to 1934, after which he was appointed vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

 of Holy Trinity Church in the London suburb of Kensington

Kensington

Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...

 where he served from 1934 to his death in 1950.

Publications

• The Seething Pot
  The Seething Pot
  The Seething Pot is a roman à clef written by George A. Birmingham which negatively portrays various individuals and organizations of County Mayo. It was first published in 1905. The novel has been called an "excellent stud[y] of life in the west."...
  
  (1905)
• Hyacinth (1906)
• Benedict Kavanagh (1907)
• The Northern Iron (1907)
• The Bad Times (1908)
• Spanish Gold (1908)
• The Search Party (1909)
• Lalage's Lovers (1911)
• The Major's Niece (1911)
• The Simpkins Plot (1911)
• The Inviolable Sanctuary (1911)
• Priscilla's Spies; The Red Hand of Ulster (1912)
• Do (1913)
• General John Regan: A Play in Three Acts (1913)
• The Adventures of Dr. Whitty (1913)
• Connaught to Chicago (1914) [also printed as From Dublin to Chicago]
• The Lost Tribes (1914)
• Gossamer (1915)
• Minnie's Bishop and Other Stories (1915)
• The Island Mystery (1918)
• Our Casualty (1919)
• Up the Rebels! (1919)
• Inisheeny (1920)
• Good Conduct (1920)
• Lady Bountiful (1921)
• The Lost Lawyer (1921)
• The Great-Grandmother (1922)
• A Public Scandal (1922)
• Fed Up (1923)
• Found Money (1923)
• King Tommy (1923)
• Send for Dr Grady (1923)
• The Grand Duchess (1924)
• Bindon Parva (1925)
• The Gun-Runners (1925)
• Goodly Pearls (1926)
• The Smuggler's Cave (1926)
• Lady of the Abbey (1926)
• Now You Tell One: Stories of Irish Wit & Humour (1927)
• Fidgets (1927)
• Ships and Sealing Wax (1927)
• Elizabeth and the Archdeacon (1928)
• The Runaways (1928)
• The Major's Candlesticks (1929)
• Murder Most Foul! (1929)
• The Hymn Tune Mystery (1930)
• Wild Justice (1930)
• The Silver-Gilt Standard (1932)
• Angel's Adventure (1933)
• Two Fools (1934)
• Love or Money (1935)
• Millicent's Corner (1935)
• Daphne's Fishing (1937)
• Mrs. Miller's Aunt (1937)
• Magilligan Strand (1938)
• Appeasement (1939)
• Miss Maitland's Spy (1940)
• The Search for Susie (1941)
• Over the Border (1942)
• Poor Sir Edward (1943)
• Lieutenant Commander (1944)
• Good Intentions (1945)
• The Piccadilly Lady (1946)
• Golden Apple (1947)
• A Sea Battle (1948)
• Laura's Bishop (1949)
• Two Scamps (1950)

Other works

• The Spirit and Origin of Christian Monasticism (1903) from his Donnellan Lectures
  Donnellan Lectures
  The Donnellan Lectures are a lecture series at Trinity College, Dublin, instituted in 1794. The lectures were originally given under the auspices of the School of Hebrew, Biblical and Theological Studies. But since 1987 they have been run on a triennial basis by the Department of Philosophy and are...
  
  
• The Wisdom of the Desert (1904)
• Irishmen All (1913)
• The Lighter Side of Irish Life (1914)
• Golden Sayings from George A. Birmingham (1915)
• Recollections of Sir Jonah Barrington
  Jonah Barrington (judge)
  Sir Jonah Barrington , was one of no less than sixteen children, six at least, and probably seven were sons of John Barrington, a landowner in County Laois...
  
  (1918)
• A Padre in France (1918)
• An Irishman Looks at His World (1918)
• A Wayfarer in Hungary (1925)
• Spillikins: Essays (1926)
• Can You Answer This? A Question Book (1927)
• Do you Know Your History? A History Questions Book (1928)
• Pleasant Places (1934)

External links

• George A. Birmingham via Princess Grace Irish Library