An Irishman’s Diary on the musical tastes of Arthur Griffith

The Lily of Killarney comes to the National Concert Hall on April 28th and 29th. On the occasion of its performance in Dublin in 1894, Arthur Griffith sought his first date with teenager Maud Sheehan, who would 16 years later become his wife. He wrote: "Jan. 18th '94. Dear Miss Sheehan, the 'Lily of Killarney' is announced for Saturday night. Do you remember your promise? If you are not better engaged for that evening, I would be delighted to meet you at, say a quarter past seven o'clock at the corner of Winetavern Street and Merchant's Quay. Sincerely yours, Arthur Griffith."

Maud was a soprano who, with her sister Annie, had performed at Willie Rooney’s Celtic Literary Society, where Griffith was secretary. Their love of music proved a lifelong bond between them.

Arthur left school at 12 to become a messenger boy at Underwood's Printing Company. He was self-educated by participating in the array of cultural, sporting and political societies which flourished in Dublin as part of the national revival. He wrote ballads and poetry. One of the earliest and best known of his songs is the marching song Twenty Men from Dublin Town, commemorating the United Irishmen of 1798 who left Dublin to join Michael Dwyer in the mountains. A title of one of his poems has been adopted by the contemporary folk rock group, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock. Walton's published a collection of his material in the 1920s series "Songs and Ballads and Recitations by Famous Irishmen". Robert Brennan, who was interned in Gloucester with Griffith in 1916-17, said that "he used to sing snatches from the Barber of Seville and Faust and was fond of Wallace & Balfe; he knew his drama appreciating Congreve, Sheridan & Goldsmith, Shakespeare, Beaumont & Fletcher. He attended everything produced at the Queen's Theatre".

Sinead Flanagan tells how Griffith was asked to adjudicate on arguments at a club called The Rapparees as to whether waltzing was non-Irish. He settled the question by saying that he could not see the national harm in waltzing as this country was not at war with Bohemia.

Maud Gonne was another visitor who performed at the Celtic Literary Society. She was interested in their journal An tSeanchaidhe. She wrote of Griffith, "He was a fair, shy boy, one would hardly notice, but I was at once attracted to him".

In January 1898 the Shan Van Vocht journal of Belfast reported on an event "to mark the departure of Mr. A.J. Griffith, a man who has for long been identified with every national movement in Dublin, for South Africa". Griffith had become a printer and member of the Dublin Typographical Society but work was scarce. In the Transvaal he edited a newspaper called the Courant of Middleburg and together with his friend John MacBride, organised an Irish Society in Johannesburg to celebrate the centenary of the Rising of 1798.

After two years Griffith returned to Dublin to edit the newspaper the United Irishman. This introduced him to a wide variety of literary and political figures. WB Yeats, whom Griffith recognised early as a major poet, asked for publicity for his play The Land of Heart's Desire in 1901.

Griffith defended the student James Joyce against early censorship and they developed a respect for each other’s work.

Griffith with Maud Gonne and James Connolly were prominent agitators in Dublin against the British role in the Anglo-Boer War and were members of the Irish Transvaal Committee.

Griffith was a very close friend of Oliver Gogarty and used to holiday at the Martello Tower in Sandycove. They would often swim the mile between Sandycove and Bulloch Harbour. On one occasion he rowed the Gifford sisters around Scotsman Bay. He was very close friends with another Protestant family, from Marlborough Road in Ranelagh, the Williams and their three daughters, Lily, Nora and Flo. His letters to Lily from internment in 1916-17 tell of his longing to be back among them. One reads, “Your letter was as refreshing as the breeze from Sliabh Ruadh itself . . . Ticknock must be ideal . . . this letter is going by subterranean post”.

Lily Williams painted the well-known portrait of Griffith, which hangs in the Hugh Lane Gallery.

A fellow journalist described Griffith: “Those who only saw Griffith in his moments of relaxation in the Bailey or Mooney’s, might easily form the opinion that he was an easy going man of middle-class tastes, who liked a good glass of whiskey and a good yarn. He never talked politics or shop on those occasions and indeed, he preferred to let others do the talking. During all his adult years except for the last few, he slaved four days a week at his paper, which for a long time he wrote, but set up as well. His associates could tell the day of the week by his mood. Monday serious and earnest; Tuesday morose arid aloof: Wednesday cranky and ill-tempered: Wednesday night unbearable: Thursday smiling and brisk once more. He put the paper to bed on Wednesday night and then, after a shave and brush up, he sought his cronies in some pub and relaxed.”

Arthur was in London for the Treaty negotiations in late 1921. He invited his wife over for the final weekend to celebrate her birthday. She was shocked by how he had deteriorated over the previous six weeks. They revisited their early days in Dublin by attending the Beggar's Opera and a Gilbert & Sullivan opera before returning home together.