Aodh de Blácam

Harold Saunders Blackham (Irish: Aodh Sandrach de Blácam; 16 December 1891–16 January 1951) was an English-born Irish author journalist, and editor. He was associated with 20th century Irish nationalism through movements such as Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Clann na Poblachta.

Aodh de Blácam

Biography

Harold Saunders Blackham was born in London, England; his father William George Blackham was an Ulster Protestant from Newry, while his mother was an Englishwoman named Evison Elizabeth Saunders. An uncle of his was Robert J. Blackham who was the Surgeon General to the British Army in Ireland. The Blackham family were Protestant, which Hugh rebelled against when he converted to the Catholic Church, in accord with the Ne Temere decree of 1907, to enable him to marry Mary McCarville of County Monaghan (with whom he had two sons Eoin and Carol).

De Blacam became involved in the Gaelic League while in London. Blackham Gaelicized his name to Aodh Sandrach de Blácam or Hugh de Blácam, despite his non-Gaelic ethnic origin. He learnt the Irish language from the essayist Robert Wilson Lynd and had visited his family in Newry numerous times as a child. As an adult, he returned to his father's place of birth. He joined the Enniscorthy Echo in 1915. During the Irish War of Independence he wrote nationalist propaganda. He was interned in 1922.

After writing a number of books he joined The Irish Times, which he left to become editor of the Catholic Standard.[1] For 17 years he wrote a feature in the Irish Press called Roddy the Rover.

He was a member of the Fianna Fáil executive until 1947, when he defected to Clann na Poblachta. He stood for election as member of this party for County Louth in 1948 but was not elected.

De Blacam died while working in the Customs House on January 16, 1951. His funeral was attended by many dignitaries including Irish Prime Minister John A. Costello and Éamon de Valera. He was buried in New Mellifont Abbey Co. Louth.

Bibliography
  • The Ship That Sailed Too Soon and Other Stories (1919)
  • The Druid's Cave (1920)
  • Songs and Stories (1920)
  • Holy Romans: A Young Irishman's Story (1920)
  • Sinn Féin and Socialism (1920)
  • What Sinn Féin Stands For (1921)
  • From a Gaelic Outpost (1921)
  • The Story of Colmcille (1929)
  • Gentle Ireland (1930)
  • The Flying Cromlech (1930)
  • The Lady of Cromlech (1930)
  • The Bard of Clanrye (1932)
  • Roddy the Rover and His Aunt Louisa (1933)
  • A First Book of Irish Literature (1934)
  • Old Wine: Verses from the Irish, Spanish and Latin Done Chiefly in Irish Metres (1934)
  • The Story of Wolfe Tone: Set in a Picture of His Time (1935)
  • For God and Spain: The Truth About the Spanish War (1936)
  • The Black North. An Account of the Six Counties of Unrecovered Ireland (1938)
  • Saint Patrick, Apostle of Ireland (1941)
  • The Saints of Ireland: The Life-Stories of Ss. Brigid and Columcille (1942)
  • Golden Priest: A Three-Act Drama on the Martyrdom of Blessed Oliver Plunkett (1943)
  • O'Kelly's Kingdom (1943)
  • Dhá rioghacht (1944)
  • Ambassador of Christ: A Three-Act Drama of Saint Patrick (1945)
  • St. John of God, 1495-1550 (1950)
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References
  1. Boylan, Henry (1998). A Dictionary of Irish Biography, 3rd Edition. Dublin: Gill and MacMillan. p. 98. ISBN 0-7171-2945-4.
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