Sean O'Faolain
1900 - 1991
Born John Francis Whelan in Cork, O’Faolain is most famous for his short stories. He was a fierce opponent of corruption in both the Nationalist movement and in the Catholic Church. Involved in armed opposition to British forces during the war of independence, later he worked for 7 years as a teacher before his first collection of short stories Midsummer Night Madness (1932) was a great success, allowing him to write full-time. He was a novelist, biographer (Daniel O’Connell), autobiographer (Vive Moi!), literary academic, editor of a literary magazine, historian and travel writer.