Moore, Thomas, 1779-1852

Thomas Moore was an Irish Poet born in 1779 in Dublin, Ireland to John Moore and Anastasia Codd. He had a private school education and then went to college at Trinity College, Dublin. He was an Irish patriot and political activist, writing poems that denounced English treatment of Ireland, to include “Corruption: an Epistle” and “Intolerance.” He also wrote popular romantic poetry, satire, and biography. However, one of his most well-known and political works was “History of Ireland” that focused on Irish achievements and social hardships under British rule, which he wrote toward the end of his life. In 1806, he and Francis Jeffrey nearly dueled over Jeffrey’s criticism of one of Moore’s early collection of poems. He died on February 25, 1852, survived by his wife, Bessy, but outliving all four of his children.