Michael Joseph (Meagher) MacManus (1888-1951) was an Irish literary figure and noted book collector. He was born in 1888 at Carrick-on-Shannon, County Lietrim, Ireland. He began his education at the Presentation school in Carrick-on-Shannon and Farnham College, Surrey, and later went on to study at the University of London.

After University, he worked as a teacher in Blackburn, Lancashire, then as a journalist on Fleet Street in London. He joined the Fabian Society, a British socialist organization that seeks to establish a democratic socialist state through gradual reform rather than revolution. During this time, he contributed many articles to Irish newspapers and journals. In 1916 MacManus returned to Ireland as a freelance journalist. He became involved in the independence movement, writing many articles expressing his nationalist beliefs. In 1924 he published his first book, A Jackdaw in Dublin, which parodied many contemporary Irish writers. He went on to publish many more books of poems, parodies, and satirical sketches, as well as a controversial biography of Eamon de Valera.

He began writing for the Irish Press in 1931 and was appointed the newspaper’s first literary editor in 1935. He continued to work for the Irish Press until his death in 1951, while also writing books and contributing to a number of other Irish publications. He was a dedicated collector of rare books, pamphlets, and broadsides representing Irish history and culture. The collection consists of over 5,000 pieces ranging from 15th century imprints to modern works of Irish scholars, poets, and novelists. The collection has been expanded on an ongoing basis since it was acquired by Seton Hall University in 1952.

Sources:

Carmel Doyle, Lawrence William White. "MacManus, Michael Joseph (M. J.)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. (ed.) James McGuire, James Quinn. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2009. (http://dib.cambridge.org/viewReadPage.do;jsessionid=AED5822651ADB6C1EC38FF8095358935?articleId=a5266#)

Fehlig, Teresa A. Eighteenth Century Imprints in the MacManus Collection, McLaughlin Library, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. New Providence, N.J, 1976. Print.

MacManus, M J, and Francis MacManus. Adventures of an Irish Bookman: A Selection from the Writings of M.j. Macmanus. Dublin: Talbot Press, 1952. Print.