A man better known as a cup is among the new Irish entries in Oxford's Dictionary of National Biography, writes Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
It denotes a rare kind of celebrity when your first name alone elicits instant recognition. It denotes a rarer kind when your first name elicits instant recognition and still nobody has the faintest idea who you are. But such is the fate of Samuel "Sam" Maguire. Best known today for his inanimate incarnation as Ireland's most cherished football trophy, it would stretch even the most agile of GAA minds to answer the question: Who was Sam Maguire?
This is one of the gaps in our historical memory that the latest update to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - due to be published on October 6th - seeks to plug. First published in 2004 after 12 years' preparation, the dictionary's scale is itself a mine of staggering statistics: it comprises some 55,000 entries written by 10,000 different authors, published in 60 volumes and containing 62.5 million words and 10,000 illustrations, all assembled at a cost of £22.5 million (€33 million).
The latest edition's Irish entries offer a tantalising blend of well-known names and others whose memory is in need of urgent resuscitation. The chronological range reflects the breath of the coverage, the earliest new subject being Conchubhar mac Donnchadha, the ninth-century high king of Ireland, and the latest, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, who died in 1990.
As the title suggests, the dictionary focuses on noteworthy British people, but nationhood is liberally defined and innumerable nationalities mingle in its pages. Though there are exceptions, Irish figures are included if their activities were principally undertaken before the Republic left the Commonwealth in the 1940s. According to publication editor Dr Philip Carter, the criteria for inclusion are fairly broad.
"Put simply, it's someone who is noteworthy or leaves their mark on any respect of British life. We are interested in people where they are British subjects or where their life has a direct impact on relations with the British state. It is people who have a close affinity with British life."
The affinity is more tenuous in some cases than in others. Among the new Irish entries, revolutionaries such as Liam Mellows, the "little fellow" who led a force of Galway men in the 1916 Rising, sits alongside John Hearne, the architect of the 1937 Constitution. There is also Betty Sinclair, the trade unionist and a founding member of the Communist Party of Ireland, who, on visiting Moscow in the 1930s, left an unfortunate hostage to history by declaring her agreement with the American Lincoln Steffens, who exclaimed "I have seen the future, and it works."
For better or for worse, it was Thomas Browne (1726-1795), the fourth Viscount of Kenmare, who pioneered Killarney as a tourist destination. His entry confirms that the town's reputation is no modern quibble: one late 18th-century visitor commented that Killarney was "superior to all comparison" but complained about overpricing and the poor quality of accommodation.
JOSEPH WALSHE (1886-1956), meanwhile, was a man with more pressing worries. The father of the Irish diplomatic service was still at de Valera's side when the second World War broke out, and for its duration had the unenviable task of keeping on good terms with the British and German representatives in theoretically neutral Ireland while providing assistance to Britain and facing a threat of invasion from both of them. Not surprisingly, photographs show that Walshe aged noticeably during the war, coming close to complete mental and physical breakdown in 1942.
Indeed, it is in its treatment of Irish people on the world stage that the new edition sparkles. We are reminded of the Cork-born court painter Harry Thaddeus (1859-1929), who changed his name from Jones to the distinctive Thaddeus in 1885 and by 1902 could count among his sitters Franz Liszt, WE Gladstone and two popes.
There is also Pierce O'Mahony (1850-1930), a follower of Parnell and now revered in Bulgaria, where he and his wife Alice undertook relief work among refugee orphans and in 1904 opened St Patrick's Orphanage. During his years in Bulgaria, O'Mahony severed his ties to his Protestant faith and became a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, though he remained a communicant in the Church of Ireland until 1927, when a new rector refused him communion unless he renounced the Orthodox faith. Piqued, he became a Roman Catholic instead.
Most intriguing of all is Eliza Lynch (1835-1886). Born in Cork, she left for France with her mother after her father died during the Famine. In Paris, Lynch met and became the mistress of Francisco Solano López, who inherited the presidency of Paraguay. There, Lynch is credited with having imported aspects of European culture (including one of the first pianos and sewing machines), and where she was subsequently involved in the country's ferocious war with Brazil.
For those interested in adorning their walls with the 60 elegant tomes of the dictionary, you may want to consider selling your car and/or first-born child to fund the £7,500 (€11,000) retail price, as well as the 3.6m (12ft) of shelving you'll need to accommodate them. Subscriptions to the online editions are a more realistic option; you get full access to all entries, and can carry out refined searches for people by date, profession, place, religion and other characteristics, as well as finding words anywhere in the article texts.
Personal subscriptions to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography cost £195 (286) a year, or £50 (73) for three months. www.oxforddnb.com
Name on the cup: the real Sam Maguire
Samuel "Sam" Maguire (1877-1927)
From Dunmanway in west Cork, Sam left for London at the age of 20 and took his first job as a sorter with the Post Office. A republican and a Protestant, he threw himself into the life of the GAA and was to become a cornerstone of the organisation in the city, playing in three All-Ireland championships for London between 1900-03. Maguire was also a member of the IRB - in Islington in 1909, he swore into the IRB another young post office worker from Clonakilty, Michael Collins. Maguire later worked for Collins on the pro-treaty side in the Civil War, and was rewarded with a job in the newly established Free State civil service. However, he was later dismissed for allegedly working against the government - never formally proved - and returned once more to Dunmanway, where he died from tuberculosis in 1927.
After his death, a group of friends decided to commemorate his name by presenting a "Sam Maguire Cup" to the GAA. Modelled on the Ardagh chalice, it was first presented to All-Ireland final winners Kildare in 1928.
GAA anoraks will be interested to know that the cup presented to Tyrone last week was in fact "Sam Óg" - though the original aged with grace, it had to be replaced in 1998.