John Francis Waller
Quick Facts
Biography
John Francis Waller (1810–1894) was an Irish poet and editor.
Life
He was born at Limerick, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and was called to the Irish Bar in 1833. He held the position of vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy and was appointed Registrar of the Rolls Court in 1867.
Works
Waller became a contributor to and ultimately editor of the Dublin University Magazine, usually writing under the pseudonym of "Jonathan Freke Slingsby". He also edited the Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography.
He published several volumes of poems and also wrote popular songs, including Cushla Ma Chree, The Spinning Wheel and Song of the Glass. Many of his odes and poems were set to music by Irish composers, Robert Prescott Stewart being particularly fond of his works. He was responsible for the explanatory notes and a life of the author in a new edition of "Gulliver's Travels" written by Dean Jonathan Swift.
Selected works
- Ravenscroft Hall (1852)
- The Dead Bridal (1856)
- Peter Brown (1872)
- Gulliver's Travels (1864 - editor)
- Goldsmith's Works (1864/65 - editor)