Ella MacMahon

Eleanor Harriet MacMahon (23 July 1864 – 19 April 1956) was a prolific Irish romance novelist.

Life and career
Ella MacMahon was born to Rev. John Henry MacMahon, curate of St. Werburgh's Church, Dublin and Frances Snagge on 23 July 1864 in Dublin. She was the older of their two children. Her father later worked as chaplain of Mountjoy Prison. Rev. MacMahon was on the board of religious education of the Church of Ireland as well as editor of the Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette. He wrote four books. His daughter was educated at home and had similar interests in a literary career.

In her 20s, she began contributing to periodicals such as the New Ireland Review, and her first novel was published in 1894. Her best-known books were A New Note (1894) and A Modern Man (1895). While her main income was from her novels, MacMahon worked for various government departments including the new Intelligence department during World War I. In the post-war years she moved to Brockenhurst, Hampshire, and later retired on her government pension.

At some point in her life, she converted to Catholicism. She died 19 April 1956.