George Augustus Moore (1852 - 1933)

George Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist.

He became a distinguished and noteworthy writer at the turn of the century. He was an associate of many of the French Impressionist artists (Zola as a writer) and portraits of Moore by Manet, Degas, Orpen, Tonks and Yeats hang in galleries all over the world.

Russel, Cummins, Gogarty, Lady Gregory, Hone, Martyn, Hyde, Maria Edgeworth, Osborne and W.B. Yeats were among the many literary visitors to Moorehall and likewise to his house in Ely Place in Dublin.

His most important works include 'Ester Waters', 'Hail and Farewell' (probably a precursor of Joyce's stream of consciousness books), 'The Lake', 'Confessions of a Young Man' and 'An t-Úrghort' (Conradh na Gaeilge).

He is still studied internationally as part of the Irish Literary Revival. He is hugely important in the USA and the Hayden Library of Arizona has the most extensive collection of his work in the world. This collection was the property of Edwin Gilcher, a noted American Bibliographer.

He was involved with the setting up of the Abbey Theatre and The Gaelic league. His last book 'The Brook Kerith' deals with an alternative life of Christ - for this George spent much time in later life travelling the Holy Land.

George's ashes are interred on Castle Island (referred to locally as Moore's island) on Lough Carra in view of Moorehall and accessible by a five minute boat trip from the Moorehall shore.