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29 Oakley Road Dublin 3.xi.1915 Dear Miss Furlong, I hope you have
not quite forgotten me and that
you will recognise my name. I
have written and am now publishing
a book of studies in Irish and
Anglo Irish Literature, and am at
present adding to it a citation
of thirty poems illustration of what
I call the Irish mode. I am was not
using any copyright work, and so
not asking the permission of authors
to use their work till Mr Joseph a
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Plunkett on looking over my proofs
insisted on my asking you for permission
to use your Tu'ad. As all the rest
of the book is printed corrected
finished I have printed your
poem and now ask you to
hurry. If you cannot give me
permission to use it I can cut it
out still. If you give me the permission
I can offer you with my
thanks nothing better than a copy
of the book when it is ready I may say that even before Plunkett
put me under bonds to do this I
admired the poem. It was the thirty
eighth, and last in order of pages of the
good poems in Gregory's bad anthology
in my thinking
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You will notice that I have inserted
the 'cloak' of your first version, omitted
in Gregory's book. I hope you will
let it stand. You need not
annotate it. I am writing notes
at the end of the book. With many good wishes Yours, Thomas MacDonagh D J O'Donoghue has given me your
address.
This letter was written by Thomas MacDonagh (1878 - 1916) to Alice Furlong (1871 -
1946). MacDonagh writes in order to request Miss Furlong's permission to print her
poetry in his newly published book of studies in Irish and Anglo-Irish literature.
MacDonagh also expresses admiration for Furlong's work and informs her that he will
be using the first edition of the poem.Thomas MacDonagh was a poet, playwright and
teacher. MacDonagh was a leading member of the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Volunteers
and was one of the principle organisers of the Easter Rising. He was also one of the
seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He was executed by firing-squad
on 3 May 1916. Alice Furlong was born at Knocklaiquin Lodge, near Rathfarnham, Co.
Dublin, one of four daughters of James Walter Furlong, the sports editor of a Dublin
newspaper. She was a poet and a writer, and was regarded as an influential contributor
to the Irish literary revival. She was also a political activist; she was a founder
member and vice-president of the nationalist women's group Inghinidhe na hÉireann,
established in 1900.