Author: Tynan, Hugh
Biography:
TYNAN, Hugh (1782-1802: O’Donoghue)
He was born, lived, and died in Donaghadee, County Down. Although no public records have been located, information about his short life is found in the preface to his posthumous Poems. The preface also prints Tynan’s “Covenant with God.” In about Aug. 1801 he began working for a few hours a day in the Donaghadee customs house; he also taught in a small school. He died on 24 June 1802, probably from tuberculosis. A notice in the English Chronicle quotes from his diary and states that the publication of his poems by subscription was intended to help his impoverished mother. The subscription was advertised through Oct. 1802. Subscribers include Samuel Thomson, James Orr, and Walter Scott (qq.v.). The poems are arranged roughly in order of composition; the earliest, "Written on a Box," is dated 4 Dec. 1796 and the last, "On Levity," is from 9 June 1802. No other information has been located. (O’Donoghue; Saunders’s Newsletter 1 July 1802; English Chronicle 21 Sept. 1802; Belfast Newsletter 26 Oct. 1802) SR