Thomas Barnacle
Encyclopedia
Thomas Barnacle from Galway
, Ireland
was the father of Nora Barnacle
and father-in-law of the novelist, James Joyce
.
Barnacle was active in the trade unions from the 1860s to the 1890s. Though illiterate, he had a trade as a well-skilled baker
—the family line of work—and was much in demand till the end of his life. He often freelanced beyond the town in such places as Oughterard
.
He married Annie Honoria Healy in 1881 and they had children Mary, Nora, Bridget (known as Delia), Thomas, and Kathleen (born 1896). One other boy died in infancy, and two other daughters are known to have been born to the couple.
Thomas and Annie moved house some seven times by 1904, all in lowly working-class districts of Galway such as Newtownsmyth, Raleigh Row, and Abbeygate Street, before eventually settling at number 8 (now number 4) Bowling Green, an L-shaped street below the church of St. Nicholas.
Sometime around 1896, Annie threw Thomas out of the house due to his severe drinking which had led to the loss of his bakery shop. However, he remained in demand as a journeyman
baker.
While his son-in-law James Joyce
(who never met him) depicted him as rough, irresponsible man, Thomas himself was very well liked by all who knew him, and was remembered very fondly by his daughter Nora. Many years later, Nora wrote to her sister Kathleen, of Joyce: "He's a weakling, Kathleen. I always have to be after his tail. I wish I was married to a man like my father." Nora Barnacle's Galway biographer, Padriag Ó Laoi noted him as a genial man of five foot nine, good humored and an excellent storyteller and stated that "True, he took a drink, but he never disgraced his family".
Barnacle died in 1921, having been nursed during his illness by his estranged wife, Annie.
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
was the father of Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle
Nora Barnacle was the lover, companion, inspiration, and eventual wife of author James Joyce.-Biography:Nora Barnacle was born in the town of Galway, Ireland, but the day of her birth is uncertain. Depending on the source, it varies between the 21st and the 24th of March 1884...
and father-in-law of the novelist, James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
.
Barnacle was active in the trade unions from the 1860s to the 1890s. Though illiterate, he had a trade as a well-skilled baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
—the family line of work—and was much in demand till the end of his life. He often freelanced beyond the town in such places as Oughterard
Oughterard
Oughterard is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2006 was 1,305...
.
He married Annie Honoria Healy in 1881 and they had children Mary, Nora, Bridget (known as Delia), Thomas, and Kathleen (born 1896). One other boy died in infancy, and two other daughters are known to have been born to the couple.
Thomas and Annie moved house some seven times by 1904, all in lowly working-class districts of Galway such as Newtownsmyth, Raleigh Row, and Abbeygate Street, before eventually settling at number 8 (now number 4) Bowling Green, an L-shaped street below the church of St. Nicholas.
Sometime around 1896, Annie threw Thomas out of the house due to his severe drinking which had led to the loss of his bakery shop. However, he remained in demand as a journeyman
Journeyman
A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....
baker.
While his son-in-law James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
(who never met him) depicted him as rough, irresponsible man, Thomas himself was very well liked by all who knew him, and was remembered very fondly by his daughter Nora. Many years later, Nora wrote to her sister Kathleen, of Joyce: "He's a weakling, Kathleen. I always have to be after his tail. I wish I was married to a man like my father." Nora Barnacle's Galway biographer, Padriag Ó Laoi noted him as a genial man of five foot nine, good humored and an excellent storyteller and stated that "True, he took a drink, but he never disgraced his family".
Barnacle died in 1921, having been nursed during his illness by his estranged wife, Annie.