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The Arts Council Playography Na Gaeilge

People

George Birmingham

1865 - 1950

Born in Belfast, George Birmingham was the pseudonym of Reverend James Owen Hannay. Educated in TCD, he became a rector in Co. Mayo and was a member of the Gaelic League. In 1908 he published Spanish Gold, featuring Reverend Meldon, a curate of unusual boldness and eloquence. The reading public welcomed this new sort of humorous novel, and Hannay responded by writing a 'George Birmingham' novel almost every year. His General John Regan when produced as a play in Westport in 1913 led to a riot and the boycotting of Hannay when the townspeople discovered that he was the author. He left Westport and, after service as an army chaplain, settled at Mells rectory, Somerset, in 1924. Later he took charge of a small parish in London, where he died on 2 February 1950. Besides his novels he published A Padre in France (1918), An Irishman Looks at his World (1919), A Wayfarer in Hungary (1925), and some religious works.

Playwriting Credits

Play Title Playwright
Eleanor's Enterprise George Birmingham