Padraic Colum

Patrick Colum (December 8, 1881 - January 11, 1972) was an Irish poet, writer, playwright, biographer, playwright, children's author, and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures in the Irish literary revival. Colum was born to Patrick Columbus in Longford County, where his father worked. He was the first of eight children born to Patrick and Susan Columbus. When his father lost his job in 1889, he moved to the United States to take part in the Colorado Gold Rush. Patrick, his mother, and brothers and sisters remained in Ireland, having moved to live with his grandmother in the county of Cavan. When his father returned in 1892, the family moved to Glastul, near Dublin, where his father worked as an assistant manager at the Sandikovo and Glastul railway stations. His son attended a local national school. When Susan Colum died in 1897, the family was temporarily divided. Patrick (as he will be known) and one brother remained in Dublin, and their father and remaining children returned to Longford. Colum graduated from school the following year, and at the age of seventeen, he passed the exam and was awarded a clerk at the Clearinghouse of the Irish Railway. He remained at this job until 1903.