George Fitzmaurice (writer)
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George Fitzmaurice | |
|---|---|
 Fitzmaurice tombstone, Mount Jerome Cemetery | |
| Born | 28 January 1877 Bedford House, Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland |
| Died | 12 May 1963 (aged 86) 3 Harcourt Street, Dublin |
| Resting place | Mount Jerome Cemetery |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Genre | Theatre |
George Fitzmaurice (28 January 1877 – 12 May 1963) was an Irish dramatist and short story writer, some of whose plays were broadcast on Radio Éireann.
George Fitzmaurice was born at Bedford House, Listowel, County Kerry on 28 January 1877.[1] He attended Duagh National School and later St. Michael's College, Listowel. He was brought up in the Protestant faith as his father was a Protestant clergyman and was the vicar of St. John's Church, Listowel.[2] Fitzmaurice's father died when he was fourteen years old and the family fortune declined. Fitzmaurice took a job in Dublin as a clerk in The Congested Districts Board. In 1916 he enlisted in the British Army and returned to Dublin after the war and was diagnosed with neurasthenia, rendering him fearful of crowds.[2] On his return to Dublin after the war, he took up a position working for the Land Commission.[3]
Family life
Fitzmaurice and his eleven siblings were the children of a mixed marriage. He and his brothers were brought up as Protestants and his sisters were brought up as Roman Catholics. His family home at Bedford, together with its extensive lands had to be given up as collateral in respect of a £60 debt owed to the local butcher.[4][2] Neither Fitzmaurice nor any of his eleven siblings were to marry or have any offspring.[5][6] He was the last Fitzmaurice of Duagh. There are no photographs of Fitzmaurice other than a sketch of him in later life.[4]
Career
Fitzmaurice's first success was in 1907, with an Abbey Theatre production of his realistic comedy The Country Dressmaker[7] which featured one of Fitzmaurice's most famous characters, Luke Quilter, "The man from the mountain". This character's appearance in the play proved to be a favourite with his audience, to the surprise of W.B. Yeats. The play's commercial success brought necessary income to the Abbey Theatre in 1907.[1][8]
Fitzmaurice's second play was a dramatic fantasy called The Pie Dish. It was heavily rejected and slated by critics and considered blasphemous. This led to the rejection of another of his plays called The Dandy Dolls which is now understood as another of his best plays. It was produced in the Abbey Theatre in 1969, six years after Fitzmaurice died.[1][9]
The Country Dressmaker was broadcast on Radio Éireann Players, during his lifetime, some of his dramatic works were produced by poet Austin Clarke in Lyric Theatre, Dublin. In 1923 his play Twixt by Giltinans and the Carmodys was also performed in the Abbey and eight more of his plays were printed in the literary journal The Dublin Magazine from 1924 to 1925.[9]
