Life
1927-2002 [Edward Patrick Thomas; Eamon Mac Thomais]; b. Dublin, 13 Jan. son of fire brigade officer and Alice [née Kavanagh], 67 Rathmines Rd., Dublin; death of father, 1932; moved ot Goldenbridge, Inchicore; ed. Basin Lane Convent Sch., and St Michael’s School, Keogh Sq.; left school at 13 to work as delivery boy for White Heather Laundry, learning Dublin vicinities with great thoroughness; later worked as clerk, and was appt. credit controller for engineering firm; ed. An Phoblacht and imprisoned for IRA membership, Aguust 1973 Sept. 1974, giving rise to protests by writers incl. Peadar O’Donnell, Ulick O’Connor and Criostoir Ó Floinn and Donall Mac Amhlaigh; interned in Curragh Camp during IRA campaign, 1957-59;
sentence to 4 months under Offences Against the State Act, De.c 1961; embarked on writing at behest of Joe Clarke, to redeem losses on the latter’s publication of Terence MacSwiney’s The Principles of Freedom; issued Down Dublin Streets (1916), ‘To commemorate the golden jubilee of the 1916 Easter week rising’ [t.p.]; took Provisional side in Republican Split, 1969-70; issued Gur Cakes and Coal Blocks (1976), The Labour and the Royal (1978), and Janey Mack Me Shirt is Black (1982); wrote two six-part series as Dublin: a Personal View (RTE 1979; 1983); lectures on local history; accredited with raising awareness of Dublin heritage and awarded Old Dublin Society Silver Medal, 1988, and the Bank of Ireland Millenium Medal, 1989; d. Aug. 2002; survived by wife Rosaleen and children Shane, Damien, Orla and Meliosa.
Works
Down Dublin streets, 1916 (Dublin: Irish Book Bureau [1965]), 73pp.: facsim., ports.; The Lady at the Gate (Dublin: J. Clarke 1971]), 138pp.; Me Jewel and Darlin’ Dublin [Rev. edn. (Dublin: O ’Brien Press [1975], 144pp., ill. Michael O ’Brien, and Do. [Anniversary Edn.] (O ’Brien 1994); also as Do. [rev. edn.] (Chester Springs: Dufour Edn. 1996); Gur Cakes and Coal Blocks (Dublin: O ’Brien Press 1976), ill. Liam Delaney & Michael O ’Brien; The Labour and the Royal (Dublin: O ’Brien Press 1978), 106pp., ill. Desmond McCarthy; Janey Mack Me Shirt is Black (Dublin: O ’Brien Press 1982), 160pp.
Criticism
See obituary in The Irish Times, 24 Aug. 2002.
Reference
Copac lists [only] Down Dublin streets, 1916 Publisher: Dublin: Irish Book Bureau, [c1965], 73pp., facsim., ports.; 22 cm.
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