The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-03-04
IRISH AUTHORS
The Allurements of London
Attract Many of them.
Considered the Best Literary
Market in Kingdom.

shut their eyes to the allurements of
London, says Edmund Downey in the
Dublin Weekly Independent. Among
the fiction writer's, Miss Edgeworth,
Sheridan lie Funa and William Garlic
ton succeeded in resisting the tempta-
ton to live out of Ireland; though in
his latter days the author of "Traits
and Stories" depended as much upon
his English pension as upon the profits
derived from his writings. Charles
Lever hated London, and when he
could not contrive to live in ireland he
gave England "a wide BERTH" Lady
Morgan had to come to London; so
had Samuel Lover. And even those
two essentially and intensely Irish
/ novelists John Banim and Gerald
Griffin, were compelled by fate to
cross the Irish sea.
London is Individually the best lit
erary market in the United Kingdom,
but l fancy there is something more
than the matter Of pounds, shillings
and pence in the selection of it as
headquarters for. Irish artists of the
pen or the brush.
Imaginative writer's are not COM
PEELED to inhale London cogs for inspi-
ration, and the literary agent is suf-
| ficiently well able to make bargains in
Great Brittian for authors residing in
Ireland. Must one be driven to the
conclusion that there is something in
the Irish air, or in Irish association,
which is fatal to imaginative work?
| Or is the phenomenon to be ascribed
merely to a desire to be, at any cost,
in the thick of the literary scramble?
1t will be found Gf anyone cares to
pursue the inquiry that consider
able proportion of Irish writer's have
drifted out of Ireland, not Of malice
prepense and aforethOught. Rowing
propensities, accident, duty, causes
entirely beyond control, have cast
them adrift. But there must be many
who have left their native shore, find
ing that Ireland had no place for
then-and not infrequently making
this discovery with some heart-scald-
ing.
The late Mrs. Hungerford-the most
| successful Irish novelist of her genera
tion-told me that no temptation
would or could induce her to abandon
her beloved County Cork; that she
was happiest and freshest there and
that she did not consider she suffered
anything in pocket by residing out of
London.
Here is an imperfect list-compiled
ut randon-of Irish wits and worthless
/ who swell London's intellectual
throng: Justin Mccarthy, publicist,
historian, essayist, novelist, states
| man, with his heart over in his own
country. He seems to have captured
London Tor to have allowed London to
capture him by slow degrees. His
brilliant son-playwright, story-teller,
poet-was born here; he could not help
himself. The attraction Of the English
Bar was doubtless the magnet which
drew that earnest patriot and histor-
ian, Barry O'Brien, across the channel.
Possibly it was the same magnet
| which affected ii. A. Hinkson. This
clever novelist has good deal to an
swer fOr-he drew out of the Irish
capital in 1893 it's most charming poet,
critic and story weaver-Katharne
lyman.
John Augustus O'Shea-a hopeless
invalid now. alas!-was not coaxed
from his native Tippearary by the fas-
cination of London. His exodus was
brought about by the Garibaldian
wars. O'Shea-a mere youth-took
up arms in defense of Plus IN. Then
he drifted to Paris; and the lust of
wandering grippcd him and tossed
him over the globe. Mr.. II. Frank
fort Moore-the most prolific Of all the
| Irish imaginative writer's of today; he
! is tho author of about forty brilliant
} novels. and he has written at least
1 dozen plays-many also urge that it
was the passion for travel which di-
vorced him from his country
| Mrs. Croker--a Roscommon lady
lived for many years in India. She is
never out of touch in her books with
her native land, and her absence from
it is possibly owing to the fact that
the duties of her husband, Lieutenant
Colonel Croker, do not permit of an
Irish settlement. Marriage. too. it
was which, in 1857. took Mrs. Reddell
1.-THE author of more than thirty able
novcls-out of Carrickfergus. Miss
Dora Sigerson is yet another of the
ladies who was enticed across the
seas. However, she is doing good
work in instilling Irish ideas into her
clever husband. Mr.. Clement X.
Shorter.
Duty mnished Mr. Alfred Percival
GrlvcS. 1t seems Il far cry now to
his Songs Of Killarney" in 1872. The
nuthor of "How to he Happy Though
Married" the Rev. T.. ]. Hardy. has
been for many years an army chap
lain. and even London cannot always
claim him. Born in Armagh. it is his
fate to find himself now in Hong
Kong