Title
McCraith, Laura M.
Description
Bibliographic Dictionary Entry
Date
fl. 1912-1923
Creator
O'Toole, Tina
Source
Munster Women Writers Project, University College Cork
Publisher
Women in Irish Society Project, University College Cork
Rights
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Coverage
Munster, Ireland, 1800-2000
Format
Text
Language
en
Type
Text
Subject
Women, Writers, Munster
Contributor
O'Toole, Tina
Birth Date
fl. 1912-1923
Death Date
1923
Birthplace
Cahir, Co Tipperary
Biographical Text
Best known for The Suir from its Source to the Sea (1912), Laura McCraith was an early historian of her native Tipperary. She was born in 1870 at Loughloher House, outside Cahir, where her ancestors had settled in the early 18th century. The McCraiths were well-known landowners and magistrates in that part of the country, and her father was a captain in the Tipperary Artillery (Walsh 175).
She travelled extensively, and in 1900, she married Dr.John Henry Blakeney. They moved to Cheltenham following his posting there in 1909, but frequently travelled back and forth between there and Cahir, and maintained an active interest in her native place. For example, she and her husband donated a silver chalice to St.Paul's Church in Cahir in 1915. At the outbreak of World War I, she was a member of the St.John's Ambulance Brigade, and the superintendent of a nursing division. In 1915, she was appointed Commandant of the St.Johns Voluntary Hospital for soldiers in Cheltenham. Walsh tells us that McCraith was friendly with Rev. William P.Burke, who wrote History of Clonmel while working as a curate in Cahir. The two compared notes on their writing, and shared sources on the history of the area. In Cashel of the Kings (1923), she acknowledges Canon Burke's involvement in her research (176). In addition to her works of local history, McCraith also contributed to periodicals such as The New Ireland Review, on issues as diverse as suffrage, tourism, and Irish music. Little is known about her later years. [L.M.McCraith]
She travelled extensively, and in 1900, she married Dr.John Henry Blakeney. They moved to Cheltenham following his posting there in 1909, but frequently travelled back and forth between there and Cahir, and maintained an active interest in her native place. For example, she and her husband donated a silver chalice to St.Paul's Church in Cahir in 1915. At the outbreak of World War I, she was a member of the St.John's Ambulance Brigade, and the superintendent of a nursing division. In 1915, she was appointed Commandant of the St.Johns Voluntary Hospital for soldiers in Cheltenham. Walsh tells us that McCraith was friendly with Rev. William P.Burke, who wrote History of Clonmel while working as a curate in Cahir. The two compared notes on their writing, and shared sources on the history of the area. In Cashel of the Kings (1923), she acknowledges Canon Burke's involvement in her research (176). In addition to her works of local history, McCraith also contributed to periodicals such as The New Ireland Review, on issues as diverse as suffrage, tourism, and Irish music. Little is known about her later years. [L.M.McCraith]
Writing Genre
Local History
Political Writing