Author: Ball, John
Biography:
BALL, John (c. 1744-1812: O’Donoghue)
He was the eldest son of the Rev. Thomas Ball but his mother’s name and the place of his birth are unknown. References to the River Slaney in his poetry make it likely he was born in Co. Wicklow. He became a scholar of Trinity College Dublin in 1762 and gained his BA in 1764 and his MA in 1768. He succeeded his father as schoolmaster at the school of St. Michael Le Pole church, Ship [Sheep] Street, Dublin. In 1777 he married Elizabeth Budds of Donard, Co. Wicklow. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Michael Le Pole; the church and its cemetery no longer exist. His brother, William, was a barrister and contributed verse as “W.B.” to Joshua Edkins A Collection of Poems but seems not to have published any books of poetry. John Ball is identified on the title page of his Odes as chaplain to the Dowager Countess of Barrymore. The title page also states that the poems are taken from an unpublished manuscript, “Faded Flowers.” (O’Donoghue; ancestry.co.uk 8 Jan. 2021) SR