William Allingham

William Allingham was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal in about 1824, and was educated there. As a young man he was employed in banking and customs and excise, moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry, as Controller of Customs in 1860. His much-anthologised poem 'The Fairies' was written on a tour of duty in Killybegs. He published one play and many volumes of poetry, his first in 1850. He had a close connection with the Pre-Raphaelites: Millais and Rossetti illustrated his collection Day and Night Songs, and he was a friend of Tennyson, Thomas Carlyle and Leigh Hunt. He edited Fraser's Magazine and published in 1864 Laurence Bloomfield in Ireland. He died on 18 November 1889

Born:	c.1824
Died:	18 November 1889