William Allingham

William Allingham

William Allingham (March 19, 1824 or 1828 - November 18, 1889) was an Irish man of letters and poet.

He was born in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, Ireland, and was the son of the manager of a local bank who was of English descent. He obtained a post in the custom-house of his native town and held several similar posts in Ireland and England until 1870, when he had retired from the service, and became sub-editor of "Fraser's Magazine", which he edited from 1874 to 1879, in succession to James Froude. He had published a volume of "Poems" in 1850, followed by "Day and Night Songs", a volume containing many charming lyrics, in 1855. Allingham was on terms of close friendship with DG Rossetti, who contributed to the illustration of the "Songs". His "Letters to Allingham" (1854-1870) were edited by Dr. Birkbeck Hill in 1897. "Lawrence Bloomfield in Ireland", his most ambitious, though not his most successful work, a narrative poem illustrative of Irish social questions, appeared in 1864. He also edited "The Ballad Book" for the "Golden Treasury" series in 1864.

In 1874 Allingham married Helen Paterson, known under her married name as a water-colour painter. He died at Hampstead in 1889, and his ashes are interred at St. Anne's in his native Ballyshannon.

Though working on an unostentatious scale, Allingham produced much excellent lyrical and descriptive poetry, and the best of his pieces are thoroughly national in spirit and local colouring. His verse is clear, fresh, and graceful.

Other works are "Fifty Modern Poems" (1865), "Songs, Poems, and Ballads" (1877), "Evil May Day" (1883), "Blackberries" (1884), "Irish Songs and Poems" (1887), and "Varieties in Prose" (1893), and, arguably his most famous work, "The Faeries" .

"William Allingham: a Diary" (1907), edited by Mrs Allingham and D Radford, contains many interesting reminiscences of Tennyson, Carlyle and other famous contemporaries.

The Ulster poet John Harold Hewitt felt Allingham's influence keenly, and his attempts to revive his reputation included editing and writing an introduction to "The Poems of William Allingham "(Oxford University Press/ Dolmen Press, 1967).

Appearance in popular culture

The opening lines from Allingham's poem "The Fairies" was quoted by the character of The Tinker near the beginning of the movie "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". "Up the airy mountain / down the rushy glen / we daren't go a-hunting / for fear of little men;"

External links

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References

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  • William Allingham — (* 19. März 1824 oder 1828 in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Irland; † 18. November 1889 in Hampstead, London) war ein irischer Literat und Dichter. Allingham war der Sohn eines Bankangeste …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Allingham — Portrait d Allingham par sa femme (1880) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Allingham. William Allingham (19 mars 1824 ou 1828 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Henry William Allingham — Henry Allingham Pour les articles homonymes, voir Allingham. Le député Simon Hughes rencontre Henry Allingham à l …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Allingham — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Helen Allingham (Geburtsname Helen Mary Elizabeth Paterson; 1848–1926), britische Malerin und Illustratorin Henry Allingham (1896–2009), Mitglied der britischen Luftstreitkräfte Margery Allingham… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Allingham —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie des personnes (réelles ou fictives) partageant un même patronyme. Allingham est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Henry Allingham (1896 2009), supercentenaire britannique William Allingham (1824… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Allingham, William — (1824 1889)    Irish poet who through hard work and dedication improved his education to become a customs official. Around 1844 he contributed to Leigh Hunt s Journal, then in 1847 he met Leigh Hunt, who introduced him to other poets and writers …   British and Irish poets

  • Allingham — (spr. älling häm), William, engl. Dichter, geb. 1828 in Ballyshannon (Irland), gest. 19. Nov. 1889 in London, wirkte früh literarisch im »Athenaeum« und den »Household Words«. Seit 1848 kam er regelmäßig nach London und verkehrte im Kreise der… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Allingham — (frz. ällingämm), William, engl. Dichter, geb. 19. Mai 1824 zu Ballyshannon (Irland), gest. 18. Nov. 1889 in London; originell seine Schilderungen irischer Szenerie (»Lawrence Bloomfield in Ireland«, 1864) …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Allingham, William — (1824 1889)    Poet, the s. of a banker of English descent, was b. at Ballyshannon, entered the customs service, and was ultimately settled in London, where he contributed to Leigh Hunt s Journal. Hunt introduced him to Carlyle and other men of… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Henry Allingham — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Allingham. Le député Simon Hughes rencontre Henry Allingham à l Imperial War Museum le 26  …   Wikipédia en Français

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