Katherine Tynan

Katherine Tynan was born on January 23rd 1859 into a large farming family in Clondalkin, County Dublin, and educated at a convent school in Drogheda. In her early years she suffered from eye ulcers, which left her somewhat myopic. She first began to have her poems published in 1878. A great friend to Gerard Manley Hopkins and to WB Yeats (who it is rumoured proposed marriage but was rejected). With Yeats to encourage her, her poetry blossomed and she was equally supportive of his. She married fellow writer and barrister Henry Albert Hinkson in 1898. They moved to England where she bore and began to raise 5 children although two were to tragically die in infancy. In 1912 they returned to Claremorris, County Mayo when her husband was appointed magistrate there from 1912 until 1919. Sadly her husband died that year but Katherine continued to write. Her output was prolific, some sources have her as the author of almost a 100 novels. Here we concentrate on her poetry. Amongst the classics such as ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ are numerous war poems. She is now sometimes grouped amongst the War Poets of the First World War. Her experience was not direct but as a Mother with one son serving in France and another in Palestine, the emotions, fears and doubts are expressed in a beautiful heart-felt way. Katherine died on April 2nd 1931 and she is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

Portable Poetry

The Poetry Of Katharine Tynan: “Everything has an ending: there will be, an ending one sad day for you and me.  And ending of the days we had together, The good companionship, all kinds of weather.”

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