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Seumas MacManus Family Collection

 Collection
Identifier: GTM-130118

Scope and Contents Note

The Seumas MacManus Family Collection contains letters and manuscripts by and about Seumas MacManus (1869-1960), a prominent Irish author of folktales who lectured extensively throughout the United States and published widely. These materials document fascinating aspects of MacManus' writing career, and they provide primary source materials about his family.

The collection includes a small number of letters from notables to Seumas MacManus, including Theodore Dreiser, Maud Gonne, Annie Kilburn Kilmer, Theodore Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, and William Butler Yeats.

There are also a few letters to Mrs. Seumas MacManus (Catalina Violante Paez MacManus) from prominent individuals, such as Edna Ferber, Marianne Moore, and Woodrow Wilson.

Important manuscripts are retained, too. Two handwritten poems by Ethna Carbery, MacManus' first wife, are preserved. A manuscript by MacManus entitled, "Lunch with Mark Twain" is present. An autograph book in the collection contains poems and other notes written by various individuals.

The Seumas MacManus Family Collection comprises a valuable source of materials documenting the life of Seumas MacManus. The collection consists of 2 archival boxes (0.5 linear feet).

[Gift of Fitzhugh Mullan, Anthony P. Mullan, and Mariquita G. Mullan, December 12, 2012.]

Dates

  • 1855 - 2005
  • Majority of material found within 1900 - 1960

Conditions Governing Access note

VAULT collection.

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Biographical Sketches

Seumas MacManus (1869-1960) was a noteworthy Irish author, lecturer, and poet who was known for his work with Irish follktales. Born in 1869, in Donegal, Ireland, he was eucated at Lesterkeeny and Donegal. In 1901, MacManus married Ethna Carbery, a poet in her own right, who died in 1902. He married Catalina Violante Paez of Venezuela in 1911. He had two children: Mariquita and Patricia.

In 1899, Seumas MacManus visited the United States for the first time. He lectured widely in America. In 1907, MacManus received an LLD form the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

MacManus published a number of works, including the following:

- "Ballads of a Country-Boy" (1905). - "Bold Blades of Donegal" (1935). - "Bold Heroes of Hungry Hill" (1951). - "Four Winds of Eirinn." (1902). - "Heavy Hangs the Golden Grain" (1950). - "Ireland's Case" (1917). - "Lad of the O'Friels" (1903). - "Lo, and Behold Ye!" (1919). - "Rocky Road to Dublin." (1947). - "Story of the Irish Race" (1922). - "Yourself and the Neighbors" (1914).

Seumas MacManus died in 1960.

[Source: "Who Was Who in America." Vol. 5, 1969-1973. Chicago: Marquis, 1973.]

* * * * * * *

Ethna Carbery (1866-1902) was an Irish author of poems and short stories. Ethna Carbery was actually the pen name for Anna Isabel Johnson. Born in Ballymena on December 3, 1866, she lived in Belfast for many years. She edited the magazine "The Shan Van Vocht" from 1896 to 1899. Her poetry and prose were published widely in various Irish periodicals. She married Irish author Seumas MacManus in 1901, but she died in 1902.

Ethna Carbery's works include a collection of poems in "The Four Winds of Eirinn" (1902), "The Passionate Hearts" (1903), and "In the Celtic Past" (1904).

[Source: "Dictionary of Irish Literature." Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.]

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Title
Seumas MacManus Family Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
Date
2/22/2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057