16 Facts About Francis Maginn

Francis Maginn was a Church of Ireland missionary who worked to improve living standards for the deaf community by promoting sign language and was one of the co-founders of the British Deaf Association.

Francis Maginn's father was a Church of Ireland vicar, and his mother was well-connected to wealthy families in Ireland.

Francis Maginn's uncle William Maginn was a journalist who amongst other achievements co-founded and was a notable supporter of Fraser's Magazine.

Francis Maginn excelled at school and was offered a junior teachership at 17 in the Royal London Asylum's Margate Branch.

Francis Maginn kept this position for five years, returned to Ireland for a year, and then went to the National Deaf-Mute College in Washington, DC.

The move from Ireland to America had a profound effect on Francis Maginn, who felt he now had the ability to achieve a higher level of attainment.

Francis Maginn spent three years at Gallaudet and did not graduate because he had to leave to be at his father's bedside, but he left highly regarded and with letters of support.

Francis Maginn returned to Ireland in 1882, he wanted to identify a potential springboard to establish a national association and he joined the Deaf and Dumb Correspondence Association, which was led by some influential deaf people of that time.

Francis Maginn proposed forming a national association for the deaf, and said that the American Combined Method education system, which incorporated fingerspelling, Signed English and lip-reading, which gave access to English as a written language and spoken language, where possible.

Francis Maginn would have preferred if no hearing people were involved in this committee but he was over-ruled and acceded to the majority of the conference.

Francis Maginn was one of the 6 Deaf men, who sat on this committee.

Secondly, though Francis Maginn wanted only deaf people to become members, the steering group said they would allow hearing members who took an active interest in the welfare of the deaf, provided they were proposed by five deaf people.

Francis Maginn hotly disagreed with this decision, objecting to the idea of the "benevolent paternalism" of the hearing friends of the deaf.

Sleight, a hearing man, was elected as the chairman of the association, and Francis Maginn was given the role of regional vice-president; an honorary position with no real power, which was a blow to Francis Maginn's confidence.

Francis Maginn confined his later years to work in Belfast until his death in 1918.

Francis Maginn is the only deaf historical figure native to the UK and Ireland that is still talked about and respected by the deaf community a century later.