Joseph O'Neill (1886-1953)
Encyclopedia
Joseph O'Neill was an Irish novelist.
O'Neill was born in the Aran Islands
, County Galway
, Ireland
, in 1886. He became a school inspector and subsequently Secretary of the Department of Education in the newly formed Irish Free State
. He wrote five novels, of which the best-known was Land Under England, a science-fiction account of a totalitarian society ruled by telepathic mind control, cited by Karl Edward Wagner
as one of the thirteen best science-fiction horror novels. His other novels include the time-travel novel
Wind From the North and the future-war
story Day of Wrath. He died in 1953.
He was the husband of Mary Devenport O'Neill, poet and friend of W.B. Yeats, who consulted her when writing 'A Vision'. Devenport O'Neill was an important writer in her own right, whose work warrants further study.
O'Neill was born in the Aran Islands
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in 1886. He became a school inspector and subsequently Secretary of the Department of Education in the newly formed Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. He wrote five novels, of which the best-known was Land Under England, a science-fiction account of a totalitarian society ruled by telepathic mind control, cited by Karl Edward Wagner
Karl Edward Wagner
Karl Edward Wagner was an American writer, editor and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. His disillusionment with the medical profession can be seen in the stories "The Fourth Seal" and "Into...
as one of the thirteen best science-fiction horror novels. His other novels include the time-travel novel
Wind From the North and the future-war
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
story Day of Wrath. He died in 1953.
He was the husband of Mary Devenport O'Neill, poet and friend of W.B. Yeats, who consulted her when writing 'A Vision'. Devenport O'Neill was an important writer in her own right, whose work warrants further study.
List of works
- Wind From the North (1934)
- Land under England (1935) [ISBN 0-14-008956-X]
- Day of Wrath (1936)
- Philip (1940)
- Chosen by the Queen (1947)