MacCarthy, Denis Florence, 1817-1882

Denis Florence McCarthy, Irish poet and translator of Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), lived most of his life in Dublin, where he was born and educated. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy, the "Mystics," and several political associations. His career started in the 1840's with his contributions to "The Nation" and the publication of "The Poets and Dramatists of Ireland" (1846), which he edited. In 1853, he began his translations of Calderón.

From the description of Denis Florence MacCarthy papers, 1845-1882 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 26271867

Denis Florence MacCarthy, Irish poet and translator of Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681), lived most of his life in Dublin, where he was born and educated. He was a member of the Royal Irish Academy, the Mystics, and several political associations. His career started in the 1840's with his contributions to The Nation and the publication of The Poets and Dramatists of Ireland (1846), which he edited. In 1853, he began his translations of Calderon.

From the guide to the Denis Florence MacCarthy Papers, 1845-1882, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Rare Book Literary and Historical Papers.)

Denis Florence MacCarthy was born in Dublin in 1817, and began publishing verse in 1834. He was married by 1853; he had 9 children (including John, Mary Stanislaus, Florence Edward, Brendan, William, Lillie, and Josephine) of whom John, Mary, and another survived. In 1864 he left Ireland and after traveling on the Continent settled in London. He spent the last few months of his life in Ireland, and died at Blackrock, near Dublin, on April 7, 1882.

He was a poet, essayist, translator, and politician; he moved in literary circles. His translations of Calderon won him praise by Longfellow and the medal of the Royal Academy of Spain in 1881. In politics he followed O'Connell.

His son Florence apparently had a literary and scholarly bent. He entered St. Thomas's Hospital Medical School; but died, aged 24, in 1880.

From the guide to the Papers of Denis Florence MacCarthy, 1811-1881, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Department of Special Collections)