John M. Feehan (8 September 1916 – 25 May 1991) was an Irish author and publisher. The eldest son of a schoolmaster, Feehan was born in Dualla, County Tipperary.
Early life and career
He entered secondary schooling at Rockwell College and later attended University College Galway.[1]
Feehan joined the Irish Army and reached the rank of captain before resigning in 1945. He had four children. He founded the successful Cork-based publishing house Mercier Press in 1944 and served as its managing director. In 1946, he published This Tremendous Lover by Dom Eugene Boylan which sold over a million copies. At the Frankfurt Book Fair he secured the translation rights of German books on philosophy and religion that sold well. In the 1960s he launched a successful range of paperbacks on Irish literature, culture, religion and history.[2]
Writing
In 1972, Feehan wrote Tomorrow To Be Brave which recounted his wife’s life and death by cancer. He explored Ireland on foot and by boat, writing a number of books.[citation needed]
He appeared as himself in the made-for-TV documentary on Michael Collins, The Shadow of Beal na blath (1991).[citation needed]
Feehan died in Cork on 25 May 1991 of an apparent heart attack at the age of 74.[citation needed]
Selected bibliography
- My Village - My World, foreword by John B. Keane. Mercier Press, c1992.
- An Apology to the Irish people Royal Carbery Books : Trade distributor, Mercier Press, c1988.
- The Secret Places of the Burren Royal Carbery Books, c1987.
- The Secret Places of the Shannon
- The Secret Places of Donegal
- The Statesman - a Study of the Role of Charles J Haughey in the Ireland of Tomorrow Mercier Press, c1985.
- Operation Brogue : A Study of the Vilification of Charles Haughey. Mercier Press, 1984. ISBN 0853427291.
- Bobby Sands and the Tragedy of Northern Ireland Mercier Press, c1983. ISBN 0932966659.
- The Shooting of Michael Collins: Murder or Accident Mercier Press, c1981. ISBN 0946645035.
- Fifty Years Young: A Tribute to John B. Keane Mercier Press, c1979.
- The Magic of the Kerry Coast Mercier Press, 1979. ISBN 0853425841.
- The Wind that Round the Fastnet Sweeps Mercier Press, 1978. Subsequently, under the title:
The Secret Places of the West Cork Coast. - Tomorrow To Be Brave Mercier Press, 1972. ISBN 0853423008.
This is the story of a remarkable and wonderful woman, who knew she was going to die a lingering and painful death but who faced up to it with unbelievable courage and who turned her last terrible years on this earth into the greatest years of her life - years of kindness, patience, understanding and unselfishness. - An Irish Publisher and His World Mercier Press, c1969.
Filmography
- The Shadow of Beal na blath (1991) (TV) (as Capt. John M. Feehan) .... Himself (author).
References
- Notes
- ^ Boylan, Henry (1998). A Dictionary of Irish Biography, 3rd Edition. Dublin: Gill and MacMillan. p. 405. ISBN 0-7171-2945-4.
- ^ "Irish publisher whose printed pages keep turning in pace with history". Under the Radar. Dublin. The Irish Times. 26 February 2010.
- Bibliography
- Brady, Anne M. and Brian Cleeve. A Biographical Dictionary of Irish Writers. The Lilliput Press, 1985, p. 77.
- Feehan, John M. My village--my world / John M. Feehan ; foreword by John B. Keane. Dublin : Mercier Press, c1992, p. 96.
- Who’ who, what’ what and where in Ireland / in association with The Irish Times. London, Dublin : Geoffrey Chapman, c1973, p. 110.
External links
- Bio on Mercier Press site
