Eilís Dillon
Encyclopedia
Eilís Dillon was an Irish author of 50 books. Her work has been translated into 14 languages.
Dillon's family was involved in Irish revolutionary politics; her uncle Joseph Mary Plunkett
was a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation and was executed after the Easter Rising.
Educated by the Ursuline
nuns in Sligo
, she worked briefly in the hotel and catering trade. In 1940 she married Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, an academic from University College Cork and 17 years her senior. They had at least 3 children, including the Irish poet and Trinity College Dublin professor Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
and her brother, Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, also a Trinity professor, who writes novels as Cormac Millar.
She started to produce children's books, in Irish
, and later in English in the 1940s, including a string of successful teenage novels, some of which (The Lost Island, The Island of Horses) were still in print 50 years later.
In the 1960s she moved to Rome
. Following her husband's death in 1970 she published her most successful historical novel, Across the Bitter Sea (1973), and in 1974 married the American-based critic and professor Vivian Mercier
.
Eilís Dillon died in 1994 and is buried beside her second husband in Clara
, County Offaly
; a prize in her memory is given annually as part of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards
.
Dillon's family was involved in Irish revolutionary politics; her uncle Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett
Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Background:...
was a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation and was executed after the Easter Rising.
Educated by the Ursuline
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
nuns in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, she worked briefly in the hotel and catering trade. In 1940 she married Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, an academic from University College Cork and 17 years her senior. They had at least 3 children, including the Irish poet and Trinity College Dublin professor Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin is an Irish poet born in Cork .-Life:Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin is the daughter of Eilís Dillon and Professor Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin. She was educated at University College Cork and The University of Oxford. She lives in Dublin with her husband Macdara Woods, and they have one...
and her brother, Cormac Ó Cuilleanáin, also a Trinity professor, who writes novels as Cormac Millar.
She started to produce children's books, in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
, and later in English in the 1940s, including a string of successful teenage novels, some of which (The Lost Island, The Island of Horses) were still in print 50 years later.
In the 1960s she moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Following her husband's death in 1970 she published her most successful historical novel, Across the Bitter Sea (1973), and in 1974 married the American-based critic and professor Vivian Mercier
Vivian Mercier
Vivian Mercier was an Irish literary critic. He was born in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland and educated first at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and then at Trinity College, Dublin. He became a Scholar of the College and edited the student magazine T.C.D...
.
Eilís Dillon died in 1994 and is buried beside her second husband in Clara
Clara
Clara is a town on the River Brosna in County Offaly and is the 10th largest town in the midlands of Ireland. The town has a population of 3001 , however a number of well populated housing estates lie outside the town boundary making the actual population higher...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
; a prize in her memory is given annually as part of the Bisto Book of the Year Awards
Bisto Book of the Year Awards
The Bisto Book of the Year Awards are literary awards presented annually in the Republic of Ireland to writers and illustrators of books for children and young people. The Awards are run by Children's Books Ireland and are open to authors and illustrators born or resident in Ireland; books may be...
.