Donn Byrne (1889 - 1929)

"An Irish novelist gets from the Irish people a certain reverence, a good measure of kindliness, considerable latitude in conduct and thought: in fine he gets his due from a God-fearing people. But he must not forget that his first duty is homeward."

Donn Byrne, "A Foreword to Foreigners," Hangman's House

This page is devoted to the life and works of the most under-rated Irish American author of the 20th Century, Brian Oswald Donn-Byrne, or Donn Byrne as he was known.

"I am in my sleeping:" A Short Biography of Donn Byrne

All but one of Donn Byrne's novels are no longer in print. Some of his short story anthologies have been reprinted by the Short Story Index Reprint Series in the 1970's. The following is a list of Byrne's published works, including the original date of publication in the United States.

Each title is a link to publication details of the work and a review [reviews still under construction]. If you are interested in submitting a review, please send it by email to the address below. Those listed as in print by the 1997 Books in Print (Bowker) are marked with an * (asterix). For details, including ISBN number, see each entry. Some of the works were published in the United Kingdom under different titles. These are noted below the American title.

The novels

Blind Raftery and His Wife Hilaria (1924)
Brother Saul (1928)
Crusade (1928)
Field of Honor (1929)

The Power of the Dog

The Foolish Matrons (1920)
Hangman's House (1926)
Messr. Marco Polo (1921) *
O'Malley of Shanganagh (1925)

An Untitled Story

A Party of Bacarat (1930)

The Golden Goat

The Stranger's Banquet (1919)
The Wind Bloweth (1922)

The short story collections

An Alley of Flashing Spears, and Other Stories (1934) *
Changeling, and Other Stories (1923)
A Daughter of the Medici, and Other Stories (1935) *
Destiny Bay (1928)
The Hound of Ireland, and Other Stories (1935) *
The Island of Youth, and Other Stories (1933) *
Rivers of Damascus, and Other Stories (1931) *
Stories Without Women (And A Few With Women) (1915) *
A Woman of the Shee, and Other Stories (1932)

Saragasso Sea, and Other Stories

Poetry and Travelogue

Ireland, The Rock Whence I Was Hewn (1929)
Poems (1934)

Works About Donn Byrne

Bannister, Henry S. Donn Byrne: A Descriptive Bibliography, 1912-1935. New York: Garland, 1982
Doherty, John J. "Donn Byrne: An Annotated Bibliography." Bulletin of Bibliography. 54(2). Forthcoming.
Macauley, Thurston. Donn Byrne: Bard of Armagh. New York: Century, 1929.
Wetherbee, Winthrop Jr. Donn Byrne: A Bibliography. New York: The New York Public Library, 1949.

On the Net

Interested in reading some of Byrne's works? Then check out Bibliofind, an Internet service that searches many used book stores. Byrne's books are considered "unsellable" by collectors, so don't expect to pay too much for great stuff.

Links to other Internet sites on Donn Byrne:

Sally Meyer's "place for devotees of the 20th Century Irish author, Donn Byrne, [for the exchange of] biographic and anecdotal information."
"Reynardine" Part 1 and Part 2, provided by the Gaslight Discussion List and the Digital Reference Desk of Richard L. King.

If you know of other Internet resources, please send an email to the address below.
This will hopefully becomean index to all sites, regardless of content, on Byrne.

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Last Updated: 20 March 1997