Delicious mirth : the life and times of James McCarroll

Recovering the lyrical voice and remarkable literary life of James McCarroll, Canada's Irish-born poet and humorist. Recovering the lyrical voice and remarkable literary life of James McCarroll, Canada's Irish-born poet and humorist. "James McCarroll (1814-1892) was a talented Irish poet, journalist, humorist, musician, and arts critic who left his mark on nineteenth-century Canada by seemingly engaging with anything topical in every medium. Often writing anonymously or under pseudonyms, McCarroll's best-known nom de plume was "Terry Finnegan," who wrote weekly comic letters to his "cousin" Thomas D'Arcy McGee, offering advice on political and social matters. Yet, since his death, the McCarroll's contributions to early Canadian writing and culture have largely been forgotten. Making a case for recuperation of Canada's lost Irish voice, Delicious Mirth seeks to gather and contextualize the extant fragments of this outspoken and flamboyant entertainer and commentator. Adept in the rich excesses of the Paddy brogue, McCarroll spoke for his beloved but broken country and sought to bring the Irish legacy of expansive prose and lyric poetry to Canada. Following the fluctuations of his personal hope, ambition, and talent through the years, Michael Peterman maps McCarroll's responses to the main events of the late nineteenth century such as Irish emigration, the settlement and growth of Upper Canada, the extension of the railway network, little magazine culture, reform politics and responsible government, the spiritualist movement, nascent Canadian theatre, classical and Celtic folk music, the US Civil War, Confederation, and most notably the Fenian movement in which he became involved. His travels took him to many places, notably Peterborough, Cobourg, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Buffalo and New York City. Revealing a man of immense creative energy and cultural significance who has been lost to Canadian literary historians for over a hundred years, Delicious Mirth shows that McCarroll's life and works are outstanding achievements and deserve fresh attention today."-- Provided by publisher James McCarroll (1814–1892) was a talented Irish poet, journalist, humorist, musician, and arts critic who left his mark on nineteenth-century Canada by seemingly engaging with anything topical in every medium. Often writing anonymously or under pseudonyms, McCarroll's best-known nom de plume was "Terry Finnegan," who wrote weekly comic letters to his "cousin" Thomas D'Arcy McGee, offering advice on political and social matters. Yet, since his death, McCarroll's contributions to early Canadian writing and culture have largely been forgotten. Making a case for the recuperation of Canada's lost Irish voice, Delicious Mirth seeks to gather and contextualize the extant fragments of this outspoken and flamboyant entertainer and commentator. Adept in the rich excesses of the Paddy brogue, McCarroll spoke for his beloved but broken country and sought to bring the Irish legacy of expansive prose and lyric poetry to Canada. Following the fluctuations of his personal hope, ambition, and talent through the years, Michael Peterman maps McCarroll's responses to the main events of the late nineteenth century such as Irish emigration, the settlement and growth of Upper Canada, the extension of the railway network, little magazine culture, reform politics and responsible government, the spiritualist movement, nascent Canadian theatre, classical and Celtic folk music, the US Civil War, Confederation, and most notably the Fenian movement, in which he became involved. His travels took him to many places, in particular Peterborough, Cobourg, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Buffalo, and New York City. Revealing a man of immense creative energy and cultural significance who has been lost to Canadian literary historians for over a hundred years, Delicious Mirth shows that McCarroll's life and works are outstanding achievements and deserve fresh attention today. Cover Delicious Mirth Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Leitrim: An Irish Education 2 Starting Out: Peterborough, Upper Canada, 1830s and 1840s 3 Sounding the “Magical Flute”: Cobourg, 1847–51 4 The Suspension Bridge: Port Stamford, 1851–53 5 Evading the “Curse of Swift”: Port Credit, 1853–56 6 Making It and Losing It in Toronto, 1856–66 7 The Curse Fulfilled: Escape to Buffalo, 1866–69 8 New York, New York! 1869–92 Appendices A Letter to Charles Lindsey B James Moylan, Editorial, Canadian Freeman, 14 May 1868 Notes Bibliography Index