Known as the “Blind Poetess of Ulster,” born in the village of Stranolar, County Donegal, Ireland, on the 16th of January 1816, of which place her father was postmaster. She became blind soon after birth, but received the benefits of education, and exhibited the poetic instinct while quite young, her verses being published in the local newspapers, and creating comment. In 1841 she had the good fortune to attract the attention of the editor of the Athenæum, who published a series of her poems in that journal, which paved the way for her entrance into London literary circles. Her first published book was The Star of Atteghei (1844); soon after the appearance of which she received a pension upon the recommendation of Sir Robert Peel, which was increased in 1852. She next contributed a series of stories to Fraser’s Magazine, Chambers’s Journal, and the Leisure Hour, etc. Among her works are Lyrics and Miscellaneous Poems (1847); Pictures and Songs of Home (1856); Granny’s Wonderful Chair (1856); Our Uncle the Traveler’s Tales (1859); The Castleford Case (1861); My Share of the World: An Autobiography (1861); The Hidden Sin (1866); The Exile’s Trust: A Tale of the French Revolution (1869); The Dangerous Guest (1875); The First of the African Diamonds (1877); etc. Several of her books were translated into French. See also “O, the pleasant days of old!”
