MacDONAGH, Thomas. Fiddler’s House. By Padraic Colum. Thomas Mac Donagh’s copy with his signature, dated 1907 on half-title. [THOMAS MacDONAGH’S COPY SIGNATORY OF THE PROCLAMATION COPY]

Dublin: Maunsel & Co., 1907. First edition. Crown octavo. pp. 61, 4. Stiff yellow wrappers, printed in green. Repair to spine. Signed by Thomas MacDonagh, dated 1907 on half-title. Signed by Colum on titlepage. In very good condition. Housed in modern grey binder’s folder. A magnificent association copy.
Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916), poet, dramatist and patriot, born at Cloughjordan, County Tipperary and educated at Rockwell College. In 1902 he joined the Gaelic League, moving to Dublin in 1908 became the first staff member and assistant head to Patrick Pearse at St. Enda’s College at Rathfarnham. Later he became disillusioned with the Gaelic League, as Yeats recorded in his diary. He studied part-time at U.C.D. A signatory to the ‘Proclamation of the Irish Republic’, he took part in the Easter Rising as commander of the Volunteers in Jacob’s factory. With the other leaders he was condemned to death by a British court-martial, and executed by firing squad on 3 May 1916. A fine association from MacDonagh who founded The Irish Review Literary Magazine along with Padraic Colum, his future wife, Mary Maguire, James Stephens and David Houston. It was edited at various times by Houston, Padraic Colum, Thomas MacDonagh and Joseph Mary Plunkett (two signatories of the Irish Proclamation). It published works by W.B. Yeats, George Moore, Oliver St John Gogarty, and many other leading Revival figures.