Mr. A. P. Graves
We record with sincere regret the death, at Harlech on Sunday, of Mr. Alfred Perceval Graves, the distin- guished Anglo-Irish poet and essayist. The son of a former Bishop of Limerick, he was born as long ago as 1846, and his first poem appeared in the Dablia University Magazine in 1863. Coming to London as a Home Office clerk, Mr. Graves soon became a contributor to the Spectator, and it was in these pages that his " Father O'Flynn " first appeared. Mr. Graves throughout his long and busy life continued at intervals to write for the Spectator, and by a strange coincidence a letter from him, proposing a new literary article, reached this office coincidently with the news of his death. Mr. Graves not only wrote songs but stirred up fresh public interest in the old folk-songs of Ireland, Wales and the Highlands, and, moreover, induced musicians and singers to become interested too. Keeping clear of politics, he did a great work for the popularizing of good music and good poetry in which Celt and Saxon may share.
* * * *
Previous page
