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THE SHAN VAN VOCHT 1896-99 (ED. ALICE MILLIGAN & ANNA JOHNSTON)
A bound volume, quarto, half calf gilt, labelled on spine ‘Vol. 1’ but actually containing a complete set of the 4 volumes lacking only the first number, Vol. 1 no. 2
(Belfast, 7 February 1896) to Vol. IV no. 4 (3rd April 1899), pp. 17-240, 232, 236, 2 (adverts), 76, with indices to Vols. I, II and III bound in and with the frontispiece
supplement (a colour printed poem by Douglas Hyde), a clean set in excellent condition throughout. Describing itself as ‘A National Monthly Magazine’, the
‘Shan’ was edited throughout by two Belfast women, Alice Milligan (1865-1953) and Anna Johnston, who wrote under the name ‘Ethna Carbery’ (1866-1902). It
established an attractive blend of Irish historical articles, political commentary, news of the ‘National and Literary Societies’, Gaelic sports and other current notes,
and a broad selection of poetry and literature. Its editorial commentary was broadly on separatist and Irish-Ireland lines, but its columns were open to a wide
range of opinion. It includes important early work by the socialist James Connolly, including his influential articles on ‘Nationalism and Socialism’ (Vol. II no. 1, p.
7) and ‘Patriotism and Labour’ (Vol. II no. 8, p. 138). These articles led to some discussion from readers, many of whom would not previously have encountered
Connolly’s ideas. Other writers include P.J. McCall, Lionel Johnson (a poem entitled ‘Right and Might’), An Chraoibhín Aoibhinn (‘Marching Song of the Gaelic
Athletes’), T.W. Rolleston, John MacNeill, William Rooney, Michael Cusack, Thomas Concannonon on ‘The Irish in Mexico’, Alice Furlong, Ethna Carbery herself,
‘Mac’ (Seumas Mac Manus), etc., with some columns in Irish. It was not a ‘feminist’ paper, but many of the contributors were women, and the sex of its editors is
arguably reflected to some extent in its content. ‘The Shan Van Vocht’ was an important factor in the recovery of the Irish separatist movement from the disaster
of the Parnell split. It closed in 1899, due to a lack of sufficient support, and perhaps also the exhaustion of its editors, but it led directly to the founding of Arthur
Griffith’s ‘United Irishman’ in the same year, followed by the other Griffith papers which continued under one name or another to the eve of the 1916 Rising.
Complete or near-complete sets are rare; even single issues are rarely seen.
Provenance: MacManus collection.
€600 - €800
665
THE SHAN VAN VOCHT: SUBSCRIBERS’ LISTS 1898-99
A small quarto black rexine-bound notebook labelled ‘1898: Subscribers
Book’, about 50 pages filled in manuscript, some 350 names with addresses
and subscription details. The first name is ‘John Daly, Thomas St., Limerick,
Complimentary’; followed by Miss Maud Gonne, 7 Avenue d’Eylau, Paris,
a subscription of €1, complimentary for ’98 and ’99; others include Dr.
Mark Ryan, London (2 copies), Thomas Concannon, Patk MacManus (2
copies), P.J. McCall, R. Barry O’Brien, A.P. Graves, Douglas Hyde, Seumas
MacManus, Rev. Michael Hickey, Maynooth College, John MacBride,
Johannesburg, John O’Mahony (complimentary), Joseph Holloway, J. Bigger,
Nora Hopper, London, Miss L. McManus, London, etc. A few original letters
from subscribers laid in, including one from T.H. Casey, Jubbalpore C.P.
With a second similar notebook, limp green cloth, labelled ‘1898 / American
Subscribers / M.J. O’Brien, New York City’, almost 500 names in some 70 pp,
with addresses, subscription details etc., including Rev. Eugene O’Growney,
Arizona, marked ‘R.I.P.’, Jeremiah O’Leary, Patrick Egan, etc. These are very
valuable records of the worldwide support base for militant separatism at
the end of the 19th century. It has been said that the Shan subscribers’ lists
were supplied to the ‘United Irishman’ when it began, but perhaps there were
several such lists. Provenance: Mac Manus collection.
€800 - €1,000
Lot 665