35 Facts About John Banim

At age five, Banim was sent to the English Academy at Kilkenny where his older brother Michael was a student.

When he was ten, John Banim visited the poet Thomas Moore, bringing along some of his own poetry in manuscript.

Moore encouraged John Banim to continue writing and gave him a season ticket to his private theatre in Kilkenny, where Moore himself was performing at the time.

At age 13, John Banim entered Kilkenny College, where he devoted himself specially to drawing and miniature painting.

John Banim pursued his artistic education for two years in the schools of the Royal Dublin Society, and afterwards taught drawing in Kilkenny.

The 18-year-old John Banim soon fell in love with one of his pupils, a 17-year-old girl named Anne.

John Banim's death made a deep impression on Banim, who himself contracted spinal tuberculosis.

In 1820, John Banim moved to Dublin after deciding to pursue his writing.

John Banim had been contributing to several Dublin newspapers and used his position to help strengthen the artists's claim.

Much of John Banim's money went to paying off his debts.

John Banim became friends with the writer Charles Phillips, who helped John Banim with his writing.

John Banim had thought of going to London, but Phillips convinced him to stay in Dublin.

In 1821, John Banim visited Kilkenny to pay the last of his debts.

John Banim spent his days in the company of his brother and of John Ruth's three daughters.

John Banim returned to Kilkenny in February 1822, and, after a courtship of five months, he and Ellen were married.

John Banim then set out for London, where he supported himself and his wife by writing for magazines and for the stage.

John Banim's illness required John to do more work to meet the costs of her treatment.

John Banim was sick for several months before recovering, his finances, by that time, greatly diminished.

John Banim wrote librettos for Thomas Arne of the English Opera House.

John Banim befriended Griffin and did everything he could to assist him, helping to edit his plays and to have them submitted for production.

John Banim published a volume of miscellaneous essays anonymously in 1824, called Revelations of the Dead Alive.

John Banim met the American author Washington Irving the same year, finding him to be a good hearted and genuine man, while other literary celebrities he had met had disappointed him.

John Banim travelled back to Ireland, spending time in Derry and Belfast, to do research on the novel, which was published in 1826.

In 1827, John Banim became friends with the young writer John Banim Sterling.

John Banim accompanied Sterling on an excursion to Cambridge, which temporarily restored Banim's health.

John Banim continued to write, and encouraged Michael in his writing of The Croppy.

John Banim submitted a novel called The Dwarf Bride for publication, but the manuscript was lost by the publisher.

John Banim was unable to return to Kilkenny to see her due to his increasingly frail health.

John Banim continued to make something of a living contributing to periodicals and writing plays.

In 1833, he and his wife moved to Paris, in the hope that John Banim would find a doctor who could help him with his condition.

John Banim was diagnosed as having an inflammation of the lower spine, and subjected to often excruciating treatments, which provided no relief.

John Banim stayed in Paris throughout 1834, doing what writing he was capable of and spending time in the society of the distinguished literary men of the city.

John Banim returned to Ireland in July 1835, taking up residence in Dublin.

John Banim was often in pain and had to use opiates to sleep, but during the short intervals between the attacks of his illness, he was able to enjoy conversation and the company of his brother and friends.

John Banim passed the remainder of his life there, dying on 13 August 1842 at the age of forty-four.