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Life
1908-1982; b. Dublin; dentist in Ireland and Malay, then worked as a travel courier; his plays and novels incl. The Dear Queen The Dear Queen [1-act] (Abbey Th. 1938 and revivals; publ. 1976);, and The Desolate Sky (1966), a novel; also The Dance of Nineteen Hundred and Ten (1977), being a sequel to The Dear Queen; turned to fiction; with Michael and Hilton, he was one of the gay figures in 1950s Dublin; he was an older brother of James Ganly of Ganly & Sons Auctioneers, at Ushers Quay; also brother of Ann, Matthew and Robert, Sarah and Arthur. DIW
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Commentary
Brendan Kennelly, ‘Modern Writing’, in Encyclopaedia of Ireland (Dublin: Allen Figgis 1968), writes: ‘The Desolate Sky powerfully describes a decayed aristocratic tradition.’ (p.360.)
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References
Seamus Deane, gen. ed., The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing (Derry: Field Day Co. 1991), Vol. 2 lists Ganley [sic], in a list of those in the Anglo-Irish tradition who revived the Big House novel [ed. Harmon; ibid., p.1026].
Hyland Books (Cat. 219) lists Typescript of The Dear Queen, 4th Abbey 1943, with Shelagh Richards and Liam Redmond. [£35]
Namesake: There is a memorial to Andrew Ganly (1792-1837) in Glasnevin Cemetary, Co. Dublin, erected by Letitia Ganly in memory of her late husband [...], and a son William who died on 16 Feb. 1835 at 12 with a dg. Letitia who "died young". See also the case of Andrew Ganly 91792-1837), son of John and Sarah Ganly, b. Lyneen, Co. Longford and bapt. at St. Paul’s in Killashee; a poiceman; m. Letitia Duggan in Galway; employed as an egg factor in Dublin trading at Halston Street in that city, when he was beaten by Ribbonmen and died in consequence at his home at 2 Lurgan St. Those charged with the murder were John Downey, Richard Jones, Bernard Leary, Daniel Breen and Christopher McDonough. The case against Jones who was Secretary of the Ribbonmen association was dropped in June 1840 but he was nonetheless sent to Tasmania for 7 years for membership of the illegal society, while the case against the others was probably dropped also. (See Find a Grave - online; accessed 12.08.2023.)
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