“I was a great believer in hot buttered toast
at all hours of the day."
Words of wisdom from Frank O'Connor for this WORK OF THE WEEK!
Frank O'Connor, who died on this day in 1966, is one of Ireland's most
celebrated short story writers. This portrait of him by Norah McGuinness
(1901-1980) is currently featured in MISE ÉIRE, our exhibition that explores
the formation of modern Ireland. Having joined the First Cork Brigade of the
Irish Republican Army in 1918, aged just 15, O'Connor was interned by the Irish
Free State government during the Irish Civil War (1922-23) along with thousands
of other Anti-Treaty forces.
O'Connor, who was born Michael O'Donovan in 1903, would eventually filter some
of these experiences into his writing, particularly “Guests of the Nation”
(1931). He is also the author of The Big Fellow (1937), his biography of
Michael Collins, and My Oedipus Complex.
Portrait of Frank O'Connor (1949) by Norah McGuinness is featured in
MISE ÉIRE (Floor 2) until 29 March 2020.
