- Coscrach of Birr (fl. c. 650) Born in Birr, Coscrach was an early Irish poet and scholar known for his contributions to monastic literature. His surviving poems, preserved in annals, praise St. Brendan and reflect Offaly’s role as a center of early Christian scholarship at Birr’s monastery. His work is a key example of early Irish poetic tradition.
- Marcán mac Tommáin (fl. c. 650-700) Born in Clonmore, Marcán was a monk and poet whose religious verse, including hymns to St. Columba, was recorded in Offaly’s monastic scripts. His work, blending Latin and Irish, contributed to the preservation of early Christian poetry in Ireland, tied to Offaly’s ecclesiastical heritage.
- Cumméne Ailbe (fl. c. 650-669) Born in Durrow, Cumméne was an abbot and hagiographer who wrote an early Vita Columbae (c. 660), a biography of St. Columba, which influenced later works by Adomnán. His scholarly writings, rooted in Offaly’s Durrow monastery, are significant for early Irish hagiography.
- Tethba (fl. c. 700) Born in Offaly (possibly near Tullamore), Tethba was a poet whose elegies and religious verse, preserved in monastic records, celebrated local saints and landscapes. His work reflects Offaly’s monastic culture and early Irish literary traditions.
- Rumann mac Colmáin (fl. c. 750-757) Born in Offaly (exact location uncertain), Rumann was a poet and scholar known for his panegyric verse, including poems praising Irish kings and saints. His work, recorded in Offaly’s monasteries, contributed to the region’s reputation as a literary hub in early medieval Ireland.
- P. J. Kavanagh (1931-2015) Born in England but with deep Offaly roots through his father’s Monaghan-Offaly family and residence in Birr, P.J. Kavanagh was a poet and memoirist. His works, like Collected Poems (1992) and The Perfect Stranger (1966), reflect Irish influences, including Offaly’s landscapes, blending personal and cultural themes.
- Thomas MacNevin (1814-1848) Born in Tullamore, MacNevin was a journalist and historian who contributed to the Nation newspaper and wrote The History of the Volunteers of 1782 (1845). A Young Irelander, his nationalist writings reflected Offaly’s revolutionary spirit during the 19th century.
- John Killen (1955-) Born in Birr, Killen is a contemporary poet and historian whose works, including contributions to local Offaly journals, explore the county’s history and rural life. His poetry, often published in anthologies, reflects Offaly’s cultural heritage and modern identity.
- Edward Conor Marshall O’Brien (1880-1952) Born in Cahirmoyle, near Tullamore, O’Brien was a writer, architect, and yachtsman who wrote memoirs and nautical works, including Across Three Oceans (1927). His writings on sailing and Irish history reflect his Offaly upbringing and adventurous life.
Writers
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County Offaly:
Ireland’s county Offaly is a county of historic depth and natural beauty, with the Clonmacnoise monastic site featuring ancient high crosses and a riverside setting along the Shannon. Tullamore’s historic distillery provides insights into Irish whiskey production, while the Bog of Allen Nature Centre explores the county’s unique peatlands. Other attractions include the Slieve Bloom Mountains’ hiking trails. Offaly is Ireland’s 18th largest county by size (1,998 square km) and ninth smallest by population (83,150). Population peaked at 146,857 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 51,533 in 1961. In terms of hospitality, Offaly is Ireland’s 30th most visited (and third least visited) tourist county with around 37,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Music – Name – New – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Songs – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
