Katherine Tynan was born on January 23rd, 1859, into a large farming family in Clondalkin, County Dublin, and educated at a convent school in Drogheda. In her early years she suffered from eye ulcers, which left her somewhat myopic.

She first began to have her poems published in 1878. A great friend to Gerard Manley Hopkins and to WB Yeats (who it is rumoured proposed marriage but was rejected). With Yeats to encourage her, her poetry blossomed and she was equally supportive of his. She married fellow writer and barrister Henry Albert Hinkson in 1898. They moved to England where she bore and began to raise 5 children, although two were to tragically die in infancy. In 1912 they returned to Claremorris, County Mayo, when her husband was appointed magistrate there from 1912 until 1919. Sadly her husband died that year but Katherine continued to write.

Her output was prolific; some sources have her as the author of almost a 100 novels. Here we concentrate on her poetry. Amongst the classics such as ‘The Wind That Shakes the Barley’ are numerous war poems. She is now sometimes grouped amongst the War Poets of the First World War. Her experience was not direct but as a mother with one son serving in France and another in Palestine, the emotions, fears and doubts are expressed in a beautiful heart-felt way.

Katharine died on April 2nd, 1931, and she is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

1 - The Poetry of Katherine Tynan - An Introduction

2 - Any Woman by Katharine Tynan

3 - The Nurse by Katharine Tynan

4 - The Only Child by Katharine Tynan

5 - Alienation by Katharine Tynan

6 - The Young Mother by Katharine Tynan

7 - Any Mother by Katharine Tynan

8 - The Only Son by Katharine Tynan

9 - The Father by Katharine Tynan

10 - The Summons by Katharine Tynan

11 - Joining the Colours by Katharine Tynan

12 - The Aerodrome by Katharine Tynan

13 - Flower of Youth by Katharine Tynan

14 - A Lament by Katharine Tynan

15 - The Predestined by Katharine Tynan

16 - A Hero by Katharine Tynan

17 - Mid the Piteous Heap of Dead by Katharine Tynan

18 - The Weeping Babe by Katharine Tynan

19 - All Souls by Katharine Tynan

20 - No Man's Land by Katharine Tynan

21 - The Old Soldier by Katharine Tynan

22 - Salutation by Katharine Tynan

23 - Wings in the Night by Katharine Tynan

24 - The Great Sorrow by Katharine Tynan

25 - The End of the Day by Katharine Tynan

26 - They Who Return by Katharine Tynan

27 - Quiet Eyes by Kathaine Tynan

28 - The Refuge by Katharine Tynan

29 - The Foggy Dew by Katharine Tynan

30 - A Song of Spring by Katharine Tynan

31 - Slow Spring by Katharine Tynan

32 - Sheep and Lambs by Katharine Tynan

33 - Easter by Katharine Tynan

34 - Winter Sunset by Katharine Tynan

35 - A Gardener Sage by Katharine Tynan

36 - The Bird's Bargain by Katharine Tynan

37 - St Francis and the Birds by Katharine Tynan

38 - The Wind That Shakes the Barley by Katharine Tynan

39 - Blessings by Katharine Tynan

40 - A Song for the New Year by Katherine Tynan

41 - Mater Dei by Katharine Tynan

42 - Immortality by Katharine Tynan

43 - The Epitipah by Katharine Tynan