MacDonagh, Donagh (1912–1968)

Irish dramatist, lawyer, and broadcaster, born in Dublin. After studying and practising law, MacDonagh became known as a playwright for his exuberant Happy as Larry (1946). His other dramas include God's Gentry (1951, a study of tinker life) and Step-in-the-Hollow (1957).

MacDonagh's father, Thomas, was executed for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising, and the following year, his mother drowned while swimming. After being educated at Belvedere College and University College, Dublin, he became a barrister in 1935 and was made a district justice in 1941. He co-edited The Oxford Book of Irish Verse (1958), which was criticized for its loose interpretation of Irishness. He also published a number of poetry collections, including The Hungry Grass (1947) and A Warning to Conquerors (1968), as well as a perceptive essay on his father.