Valentine O'Hara
Encyclopedia
Valentine James O'Hara was a noted Irish
author and authority on Russia
and the Baltic States
in the 1920s.
. Son of Thomas O'Hara, he had one brother (Charles (1871–1955)) and two sisters (Mary b 1877 and Elizabeth b 1879).
His early education was at Stonyhurst College
, near Clitheroe
in rural Lancashire
. He spent two years at Stonyhurst studying Rudiments and Grammar at this Jesuit College. He finished his education at Queen's College, Galway.
Ten years later he returned to Stonyhurst College and taught languages before leaving to devote himself to literary work.
. He travelled extensively all over Europe
and served on the Anglo-Russian Committee in Petrograd and the Inter-Allied Trade Commission in Stockholm
. He was imprisoned under the Bolshevik
regime and left Russia in 1918. He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment
for their North Russian Expedition. He was demobilised in 1919 at the request of the Foreign Office, and was appointed to the British Political Mission to the Baltic States
(Estonia
, Latvia
, and Lithuania
).
His two best known books are "Anthony O'Hara, Knight of Malta" which is an interesting account of a distinguished kinsman of the author, in the writing of which Valentine had access to the Tyrawly papers at Annaghmore
. He also wrote "Russia" in 1925 in collaboration with Nikolai Makeev. This was a much quoted and authoritative account of the late 19th century history of the country.
He was a frequent contributor to Nineteenth Century, Contemporary, Empire, and National Review
s, Review of Reviews
, Studio, etc. and a member of the Press Club, London, E.C.4. He regularly wrote letters to the Times
.
On 25 Jun 1919 he married Florence Annie Butt, daughter of William Butt, a farmer in Ampthill
, Bedfordshire
. They had no children. He lived the remainder of his life in Kensington
and died on 8 Oct 1941 at Princess Beatrice Hospital, Kensington. The cause of death was pneumonitis
of both lungs with cardiac failure. . He had a lengthy obit in the Stonyhurst College Magazine (July 1943) which shows his generous nature by stating: "He was the donor to Stonyhurst of a collection of valuable books, and it was through him that the late Mr. Hamilton Minchin gave us his large collection of books on art in 1933. Mr. O'Hara was also the donor of the unique painting of King Edward VIII in Coronation robes." He has an entry in the British Biographical Index
reprinted from the Catholic Who's Who and Year Book 1930.
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...
author and authority on Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
in the 1920s.
Early life
Valentine James O'Hara was born on the 8 February 1875 in Bernere, Portarlington, County Laois, IrelandIreland
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...
. Son of Thomas O'Hara, he had one brother (Charles (1871–1955)) and two sisters (Mary b 1877 and Elizabeth b 1879).
His early education was at Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
, near Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
in rural Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He spent two years at Stonyhurst studying Rudiments and Grammar at this Jesuit College. He finished his education at Queen's College, Galway.
Ten years later he returned to Stonyhurst College and taught languages before leaving to devote himself to literary work.
Later career
Valentine was a long term resident in the old Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He travelled extensively all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and served on the Anglo-Russian Committee in Petrograd and the Inter-Allied Trade Commission in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. He was imprisoned under the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
regime and left Russia in 1918. He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment
Middlesex Regiment
The Middlesex Regiment was a regiment of the British Army. It was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms when the 57th and 77th Regiments of Foot were amalgamated with the county's militia and rifle volunteer units.On 31 December 1966 The Middlesex Regiment was amalgamated with three...
for their North Russian Expedition. He was demobilised in 1919 at the request of the Foreign Office, and was appointed to the British Political Mission to the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
(Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
).
His two best known books are "Anthony O'Hara, Knight of Malta" which is an interesting account of a distinguished kinsman of the author, in the writing of which Valentine had access to the Tyrawly papers at Annaghmore
Annaghmore
Annaghmore is a small village and townland near Loughgall in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 255 people. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area.-Places of interest:...
. He also wrote "Russia" in 1925 in collaboration with Nikolai Makeev. This was a much quoted and authoritative account of the late 19th century history of the country.
He was a frequent contributor to Nineteenth Century, Contemporary, Empire, and National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
s, Review of Reviews
Review of Reviews
The Review of Reviews was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890-93 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead...
, Studio, etc. and a member of the Press Club, London, E.C.4. He regularly wrote letters to the Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
On 25 Jun 1919 he married Florence Annie Butt, daughter of William Butt, a farmer in Ampthill
Ampthill
Ampthill is a small town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council. A regular market has taken place on Thursdays for centuries.-History:...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. They had no children. He lived the remainder of his life in 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...
and died on 8 Oct 1941 at Princess Beatrice Hospital, Kensington. The cause of death was pneumonitis
Pneumonitis
Pneumonitis or pulmonitis is a general term that refers to inflammation of lung tissue.Pneumonia is pneumonitis combined with consolidation and exudation...
of both lungs with cardiac failure. . He had a lengthy obit in the Stonyhurst College Magazine (July 1943) which shows his generous nature by stating: "He was the donor to Stonyhurst of a collection of valuable books, and it was through him that the late Mr. Hamilton Minchin gave us his large collection of books on art in 1933. Mr. O'Hara was also the donor of the unique painting of King Edward VIII in Coronation robes." He has an entry in the British Biographical Index
British Biographical Index
British Biographical Index in four vols. Edited by David Bank and Anthony Esposito. London: K.G. Saur. It is the key to the British Biographical Archive. Edited by Laureen Baillie and Paul Sieveking. Munich: K.G. Saur, 1984-. 1236 fiches....
reprinted from the Catholic Who's Who and Year Book 1930.
Books and general articles
- Esthonia: past and present. 1922.
- The Lithuanian Forest. 1922.
- The Foreign Office And Lithuania. Contemporary Review, Vol. 125 (June 1924): 745-752.
- Russia pp. xii. 346. Ernest Benn: London, 1925. In collaboration with Nikolai MAKEEV.
- Anthony O'Hara, Knight of Malta, Memoir of a Russian Diehard, pp. xii. 228. Richards: London, 1938.
- An historical sketch on Poland, 1863-1923, by Valentine J. O’Hara. pp. xix. 441. T. Fisher Unwin: London, 1923. contained within Poland by William Richard MORFILL
Oxford Journal articles
- The Lithuanian Bison: A Dying Race - 1921; S12-Ix: 509 - 510.
- Lazenki Palace, Warsaw: Latin Inscriptions - 1922; S12-X: 151.
- The English "H": Celtic, Latn And German Influences - 1922; S12-X: 32.
- Inscriptions On An Icon - 1922; S12-X: 117 - 118.
- Use Of "At" Or "In" With Placenames - 1922; S12-X: 234 - 235.
- ‘A Literary Find’ - 1922; S12-X: 487 - 488.
- English Travellers' References To Carrara - 1923; S13-I: 152 - 153.
- Inscriptions On Misericord Seats In Whalley Parish Church - 1923; S13-I: 31.
- Ct. Pietro Verri - 1923; S13-I: 153.
- Roodlofts - 1923; S13-I: 235.
- Lillingstone Dayrell, Ancient Monumental Brass - 1923; S13-I: 252.
- Heraldic Beasts - 1925; Cxlix: 369.
- Religion And Common Speech - 1926; Cl: 117.
- Pierre De Coulevain - 1930; 158: 331.
- Order Of The Holy Sepulchre - 1932; Clxiii: 207.
- "The Thief Of Touchino" - 1934; Clxvi: 316.
- Lazenki Palace, Warsaw: Latin Inscriptions - published posthumously 1965; 12: 151.