An Irishman’s Diary on Susan Langstaff Mitchell, a pioneering Irish writer and journalist

Journalist, poet and literary critic Susan Langstaff Mitchell was known for her quick wit and biting satire. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth and the 90th anniversary of the death of the woman who has been called “a jester extraordinary” and “a caustic observer of the Dublin scene”. She has sometimes been referred to as a minor participant in the Irish Literary Revival, but without the work of such minor participants, the work of major participants would be all the more difficult.

Through her writing and commentary, Mitchell played her part in Ireland’s literary rebirth at the start of the 20th century. Born in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim on December 6th, 1866, she was the fifth of seven children. Her father was manager of the town’s Provincial Bank. When he died in 1872, the family was split up, with the children being cared for by relatives in Sligo and Dublin. Susan was sent to live with aunts on Dublin’s Wellington Road. She lived next door to the artist Sarah Purser and her family and attended a private school on Morehampton Road run by Harriett Abbott. Mitchell later attended Trinity College Dublin.

Keen observer

A talented writer and keen observer of Irish society, in 1900 Mitchell became assistant editor of the

Irish Homestead

. This was a weekly magazine, produced by the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS), to promote agricultural co-operatives, as well as other aspects of the co-operative movement throughout Ireland. The magazine contained articles, poetry and short stories. It was here that James Joyce’s first short story was published. In fact, the first three of his stories from

Dubliners

appeared in the magazine.

Mitchell wrote a column for the Irish Homestead called “Household Hints” under a pseudonym, normally “Brigid” or “Bean an Tighe”. Rather than being merely an advice column on cooking and cleaning, one commentator suggests that “Mitchell used the columns to engage with debates about the Irish revival and the changing nature of gender relations”.

She was also a founder member of the United Irishwomen, the forerunner of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.

When this magazine amalgamated with the Irish Statesman, Mitchell became assistant editor. The Statesman, also a weekly, contained articles and poems by a plethora of established and rising artists, poets and writers. These included George Bernard Shaw, Oliver St John Gogarty, Paul and Grace Henry, along with Liam O'Flaherty, Austin Clarke and Sean O'Faolain. It has been described as "one of the Free State's leading intellectual organs" and it is said that Mitchell "always maintained a sly cheerfulness, and became the hostess of the office". Along with her share of the editorial duties, Mitchell's own work in the Irish Statesman consisted of book and theatre reviews.

Apart from her journalism, Mitchell also produced several collections of poetry and a critical study of her friend, the novelist George Moore. It was the first book to be written about Moore during his lifetime. It seems that she gave him a taste of his own medicine; Mitchell is said to have mocked the mocker and satirised the satirist. Moore was not overly happy with the book and it is believed to have caused a distance between Moore and AE.

Mitchell’s political ideology would undergo a dramatic change over her lifetime. Born into a Protestant family, she went on to support Charles Stewart Parnell and advocated for home rule.

She wrote a poem titled Anti-Recruiting Song in 1908 and developed strong republican sympathies after the Easter Rising. She later joined Sinn Féin and wrote for that party's newspaper.

The gathering known as the “at home” was a popular feature of the calendar during the Irish Literary Revival. Mitchell held her own “at home” on Saturday evenings between 8pm and midnight. It was attended by her circle of friends, including the writers James Stephens and Padraic Colum and the poets Ella Young and AE. Tea, coffee, sandwiches and cakes were offered, but no alcohol was served. Attendees kept themselves entertained by talking, singing ballads, or playing charades.

Susan Mitchell died on March 4th, 1926. Along with her brother and immediate relations, many of the talented writers, artists and poets who peopled the Irish arts scene, such as Jack B Yeats, Douglas Hyde, WB Yeats, Lord Dunsany, and Sarah Purser, joined her on her final journey to Mount Jerome Cemetery.

Her great friend and colleague AE felt her departure deeply. He said that Mitchell was “a woman of genius” and “one of the best Irishwomen of her time, capable of following the profoundest thinking and of illuminating it by some flash of her own intuition”.