Edward Martyn
Encyclopedia
Edward Martyn was an Irish
political and cultural activist and playwright.
, both in County Galway
. He succeeded his father upon John's death in 1860. He was educated at Belvedere College, Dublin, and Beaumount Jesuit school, London, after which he entered Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1877. He left without taking a degree in 1879.
His only sibling, John, died in 1883.
of music, both European classical and Irish traditional. He was a fine musician in his own right, giving memorable performances for guests on an organ he had installed at Tullira.
Martyn used his great wealth to benefit Irish culture. His activities and sponsorships included:
He encouraged Hugh Lane
to found an Irish national art gallery, but this was prevented by Lane's death on the Lusitania
.
and Lady Gregory
. The three founded the Irish Literary Theatre
, for whom Martyn wrote his best and most popular plays The Heather Feild and A Tale of a Town. He covered the costs of the company's first three seasons, which proved crucial to establishing the company and the future of the Abbey Theatre
. He later parted ways with Yeats and Gregory, something he later regretted, but remained on warm terms with Lady Gregory till the end of his life.
(1852–1933). The two made frequent trips all over Europe, where Moore influenced Martyn's views on modern art, which resulted in the latter purchasing several works by Degas, Monet, Corot
, Utamaro
(all later donated to the National Gallery of Ireland
). The two attended performances at Bayreuth, as Martyn was a devotee of Wagner.
Their relationship was often antagonistic. Moore wrote an insightful account of Martyn in his monumental Hail and Farewell. In later years they were no longer on speaking terms.
who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland
. Yet by his lifetime, the family were unionists. Martyn's outlook began to change in the 1880s by studying Irish history, as well as living through the events of the Irish Land War. He came out as an Irish nationalist when he famously refused to allow God Save The Queen
to be sung after a dinner party at Tullira.
By this stage he was involved with the political work of Maude Gonne and Arthur Griffith
, and was a vocal opponent of the visit of Queen Victoria to Ireland in 1897. He likewise protested the visit of Edward VII in 1903, this time as chairman of the People's Protection Committee.
He was the first president of Sinn Féin
from 1905 to 1908 (the party only taking that name in the latter year). In 1908 he resigned from the party and politics in general to concentrate on writing and his other activities.
He became close friends with Arthur Griffith, funding the publication of the latter's seminal The resurrection of Hungry in 1904, an important landmark in the development of Irish nationalism.
In 1906 he was at the centre of a well-publicised court case over an off-the-cuff remark than any Irishman who joined the British Army
should be flogged. This led to his (illegal) suspension by the Kildare Street Gentleman's Club, of which he was a member, along with many leading Anglo-Irish army officers. The court case was resolved in his favor; Martyn wittily stated he only pursued the case to continue membership as it served the best caviar
in Dublin.
He was on close personal terms with Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Mary Plunkett
and Patrick Pearse
, and deeply mourned their deaths in the aftermath of the Easter Rising
of 1916. A parish hall and church that he founded at Labane, near Tullira, was attacked and burned by the Black and Tans
. He supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty
of 1921.
, be buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. The Palestrina Choir sang at his graveside. His papers he bequeathed to the Carmelites of Clarendon Street in Dublin, who subsequently misplaced and lost them. Portraits of Martyn exist by John Butler Yeats
, Norman French McLachlan and Sarah Purser
.
On his death the senior line of the Martyn
family died out. His property was inherited by his cousins, the Smyths of Masonbrook and Lord Hempill. Tullira was sold by the latter forty years later and has changed ownership several times since.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
political and cultural activist and playwright.
Early life
Martyn was the eldest son of John Martyn of Tullira and Annie Mary Josephine Smyth of Masonbrook, LoughreaLoughrea
Loughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
, both in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
. He succeeded his father upon John's death in 1860. He was educated at Belvedere College, Dublin, and Beaumount Jesuit school, London, after which he entered Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1877. He left without taking a degree in 1879.
His only sibling, John, died in 1883.
Patron of the Arts
Martyn began writing fiction and plays in the 1880s. While his own output was never very distinguished, he acquired a well-earned reputation as a noted connoisseurConnoisseur
A connoisseur is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, cuisines, or an expert judge in matters of taste.Modern connoisseurship must be seen along with museums, art galleries and "the cult of originality"...
of music, both European classical and Irish traditional. He was a fine musician in his own right, giving memorable performances for guests on an organ he had installed at Tullira.
Martyn used his great wealth to benefit Irish culture. His activities and sponsorships included:
- foundation of the Palestrina Choir in 1903
- funding and direction of St. Brendan's Cathedral, LoughreaLoughreaLoughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
- co-founder and endowing of the Feis Ceol
- president of Na hAisteoiri, the Irish-language drama group
- sponsored and guided Tur Gloine, Ireland's first stained-glass workshop
He encouraged Hugh Lane
Hugh Lane
Sir Hugh Percy Lane is best known for establishing Dublin's Municipal Gallery of Modern Art and for his remarkable contribution to the visual arts in Ireland...
to found an Irish national art gallery, but this was prevented by Lane's death on the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
.
The Irish Literary Theatre
Martyn was renowned as a networker, and was pivotal in introducing William Butler YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
and Lady Gregory
Augusta, Lady Gregory
Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory , born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of...
. The three founded the Irish Literary Theatre
Irish Literary Theatre
The Irish Literary Theatre was a precursor to the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Founded by W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, George Moore and Edward Martyn in 1899, this theatre presented a number of plays by the founders and other writers, including Padraic Colum....
, for whom Martyn wrote his best and most popular plays The Heather Feild and A Tale of a Town. He covered the costs of the company's first three seasons, which proved crucial to establishing the company and the future of the Abbey Theatre
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre , also known as the National Theatre of Ireland , is a theatre located in Dublin, Ireland. The Abbey first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day...
. He later parted ways with Yeats and Gregory, something he later regretted, but remained on warm terms with Lady Gregory till the end of his life.
George Moore
Martyn was a cousin and friend to George MooreGeorge Moore (novelist)
George Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family who lived at Moore Hall in Carra, County Mayo. He originally wanted to be a painter, and studied art in Paris during the 1870s...
(1852–1933). The two made frequent trips all over Europe, where Moore influenced Martyn's views on modern art, which resulted in the latter purchasing several works by Degas, Monet, Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was a French landscape painter and printmaker in etching. Corot was the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-nineteenth century...
, Utamaro
Utamaro
was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints . His name was romanized as Outamaro. He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga...
(all later donated to the National Gallery of Ireland
National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland houses the Irish national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on Clare Street. It was founded in 1854 and opened its doors ten years later...
). The two attended performances at Bayreuth, as Martyn was a devotee of Wagner.
Their relationship was often antagonistic. Moore wrote an insightful account of Martyn in his monumental Hail and Farewell. In later years they were no longer on speaking terms.
Irish nationalist
Martyn was descended from Richard Óge Martyn (c.1604-1648), a leading Irish Confederate, and Oliver Óge Martyn (c.1630-c.1709), a JacobiteJacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland
Williamite war in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland—also called the Jacobite War in Ireland, the Williamite-Jacobite War in Ireland and in Irish as Cogadh an Dá Rí —was a conflict between Catholic King James II and Protestant King William of Orange over who would be King of England, Scotland and Ireland...
. Yet by his lifetime, the family were unionists. Martyn's outlook began to change in the 1880s by studying Irish history, as well as living through the events of the Irish Land War. He came out as an Irish nationalist when he famously refused to allow God Save The Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
to be sung after a dinner party at Tullira.
By this stage he was involved with the political work of Maude Gonne and Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith
Arthur Griffith was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. He served as President of Dáil Éireann from January to August 1922, and was head of the Irish delegation at the negotiations in London that produced the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921.-Early life:...
, and was a vocal opponent of the visit of Queen Victoria to Ireland in 1897. He likewise protested the visit of Edward VII in 1903, this time as chairman of the People's Protection Committee.
He was the first president of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
from 1905 to 1908 (the party only taking that name in the latter year). In 1908 he resigned from the party and politics in general to concentrate on writing and his other activities.
He became close friends with Arthur Griffith, funding the publication of the latter's seminal The resurrection of Hungry in 1904, an important landmark in the development of Irish nationalism.
In 1906 he was at the centre of a well-publicised court case over an off-the-cuff remark than any Irishman who joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
should be flogged. This led to his (illegal) suspension by the Kildare Street Gentleman's Club, of which he was a member, along with many leading Anglo-Irish army officers. The court case was resolved in his favor; Martyn wittily stated he only pursued the case to continue membership as it served the best caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
in Dublin.
He was on close personal terms with Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Background:...
and Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
, and deeply mourned their deaths in the aftermath of the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of 1916. A parish hall and church that he founded at Labane, near Tullira, was attacked and burned by the Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
. He supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
of 1921.
Death
Martyn died at Tullira in December 1922 after suffering years of ill-health. Both friends and family were shocked at a provision in his will, that directed that his body be donated for the use of medical science and, after dissectionDissection
Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components....
, be buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. The Palestrina Choir sang at his graveside. His papers he bequeathed to the Carmelites of Clarendon Street in Dublin, who subsequently misplaced and lost them. Portraits of Martyn exist by John Butler Yeats
John Butler Yeats
John Butler Yeats was an Irish artist and the father of William Butler Yeats, Lily Yeats, Lollie Yeats and Jack B. Yeats. He is probably best known for his portrait of the young William Butler Yeats which is one of a number of his portraits of Irishmen and women in the Yeats museum in the National...
, Norman French McLachlan and Sarah Purser
Sarah Purser
-Early life:She was born in Kingstown in County Dublin, and raised in Dungarvan, County Waterford. She was educated in Switzerland and afterwards studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and in Paris at the Académie Julian.-Artist:...
.
On his death the senior line of the Martyn
Martyn
Martyn, or Martin is the surname of one of The Tribes of Galway, Ireland.-Family history:The Martyn family were one of a group of fourteen families of mixed Irish, English, Welsh, French and Norman descent who became the premier merchant and political families in the town of Galway during the late...
family died out. His property was inherited by his cousins, the Smyths of Masonbrook and Lord Hempill. Tullira was sold by the latter forty years later and has changed ownership several times since.
Extracts from Lady Gregory's Journals
- Sunday 25 September 1921 (p. 294-5) - And in the afternoon we drove to Tillyra, and Edward sent them [Anne and Catherine, Lady Gregory's granddaughters] into the Castle with Owen, and let them play the organ in the hall and gave us tea and was very pleasant, thought Catherine very like Velasquez Prince on horseback; approves of my keeping on Coole but thinks I have great courage. He is not very hopeful of a settlement, but he is never hopeful, but he praises the leaders, De V. and McNeill and Barton especially. And indeed one feels more pride in being represented by them in England than by the British Cabinet in Europe! He says George MooreGeorge Moore (novelist)George Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family who lived at Moore Hall in Carra, County Mayo. He originally wanted to be a painter, and studied art in Paris during the 1870s...
is really angry about Miss Mitchell's life of him, and told him "Boyd is to do the official life"; but Edward says "that will make no difference, Miss Mitchell's will always be the real one accepted, she took the only possible way of dealing with you, treating you as Mon ami Moore. Edward is sorry he didn't build a Theatre twenty years ago, and "put the key in his pocket." ... He is anxious about money, has fears of his investment in the English railways, and is very crippled with rheumatism.
- 14 January 1922 (p. 323-4) - On the way to the Abbey TheatreTheatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, over the Bridge, there was a great crowd, I asked what was going on and a young man said "Its the Tans" (Black and TansBlack and TansThe Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
) ... - on their departure! ... I had been to see Edward Martyn in the afternoon in his warm little flat; very crippled, but more cheerful than I had seen him for a long time at the exit of the Tans. He is all for the Treaty and blames De Valera's doings here as much as he had admired them in America. He will listen to no excuse, says "he is jealous of Griffith. I met him in Gort at the time of his Clare election. I was doing my marketing and he and another had come to hold a meeting there, and I talked to them in their motor and I said 'You will get on all right as long as you hold to Griffith and keep him with you' and I saw a shadow pass across their faces." ... He says M. Collins made an inspection of the Volunteers all through Ireland before he went on the London mission, and came to the conclusion that we were not in a position to fight. When they brought the signed Treaty back (and this I had heard from others) no one in the Cabinet made an objection. But suddenly some days later De V. sent his protest to the Press.
- September 1923 (p. 475) - Edward Martyn had been ill for sometime and on 8 September I wrote to A.W. "On the way back from Galway we got to Tillyra about 6.30. The chauffeur had never been thrre before and instead of stopping at the hall door drove a little past it, and there, in the bow window of the library I saw Edward sitting. I thought he would turn or look round at the noise but he stayed quite immovable, like a stuffred figure, it was quite uncanny. I rang the bell and Dolan the butler appears, said he was "only pretty well", but showed me into the drawingroom, and came back to say Edward would like to see me. I went in; he did not turn his head, gazed before him. I touchd his hands (one could not shake them - all crippled, Dolan says he has to be fed) and spoke to him. He slowly turned his eyes but apparently without recognition. I went on talking without response till I asked if he had any pain and he whispered "No - thank God". I didn't know if he knew me, but talked a little, and presently he whispered "How is Robert?" I said "He is well, as all are in god's hands. He has gone before me and before you". then I said "My little grandson Richard is well", and he said with difficulty and in a whisper "I am very glad of that". Then I came away, there was no use staying ... It was a very sad visit. That was the last time I saw Edward Martyn, and I grieve for him.
- 7 December 1923 (p. 494) - Yesterday I took the children to a party at Ballyturnin, very merry for them. But I heard of Edward Martyn's death, it had taken place that morning. The Doctor told Mr. Bagot a tumour had been taken from his head on Saturday, Dr. McGuinness had come from Dublin for the operation and he lost a good deal of blood. Father O'Kelly said he had after the operation recognised Father Carr, which he had not done for some time. I asked about the funeral. He said Father Carr told him also he had bequeathed his body to the Dublin doctors "in the interests of science" so it may probably be in Dublin. ... I feel a loneliness now he is gone. He was from the beginning of my life here at Coole a good neighbour; he was always grateful for my husband's interest in him. He had gone to see Edward at Oxford to advise him not to build that large addition to his old castle, until at least his own taste and opinion were formed; and though the forces were too strong, his mother and her surroundings, he often regretted that he had not the strength of mind to take that advice. He was very kind to Robert, giving him his first real gun and letting him and his friends shoot [at] Tillyra in the holidays. And then, when Yeats' summers, and the theatre project began, he was constantly here, walking over and staying to dine. It was George Moore who broke that work together, putting his own name on the "Bending of the Bough", rewritten by him and Yeats but on Edward's foundation. And Edward had been weak about The Countess CathleenThe countess cathleenThe Countess Cathleen is a verse drama by William Butler Yeats in blank verse . It was dedicated to Maud Gonne, Yeats' lifelong love.-Editions and revisions:...
, and took a wrong turning I think in withdrawing his support from our Theatre. Of late I was told he felt his support of Sinn FéinSinn FéinSinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
in its beginning had been wrong, it was on his conscience. And yet he hated, with a real hatred, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. I always felt there were two natures in him, the old blood of the MartynMartynMartyn, or Martin is the surname of one of The Tribes of Galway, Ireland.-Family history:The Martyn family were one of a group of fourteen families of mixed Irish, English, Welsh, French and Norman descent who became the premier merchant and political families in the town of Galway during the late...
s and the blood of the Smiths.
- 11 December 1923 - Poor Edward. His body has been taken to Dublin to be dissected, by direction of his will. He directecd the Dr. should visit it each day till removal to make sure he really was dead. But if he meant by giving it to the School of Medicine to perhaps save some other sufferer from what he has gone through (no doctor seeming to know what was wrong or able to help him) it was a fine thing to do. There is a nice notice of him in "The Times", better than he would have gained by following his family's wishes and settling down to marry and entertain the County.