User talk:Lucciola24/sandbox

Early Life

MacMahon was born in 1909 to parents Patrick and Joanna MacMahon, in Listowel, County Kerry. He was one of four children, his father was a clerk in a law office and his mother was a schoolteacher. He had a traditional and idyllic country up-bringing, which he illustrated in the first chapters of ‘The Storyman’ (1994). He learned his love for the Irish language from his grandmother, who was a native Irish speaker. His grandfather was weighmaster in charge of the market and Bryan assisted him often. He was educated in Scoil Réalta na Maidine, Lios Tuathail, and then St Michael's College, Listowel, where he was influenced by the writer Seamus Wilmot, who encouraged him in his passion for writing. Like his mother, he also had a passion for teaching. He attended St. Patrick's Teacher Training College in Drumcondra, County Dublin. After this, he taught in Donore Avenue, off South Circular Road in Dublin. Due to family pressures, he resigned his teaching post in Dublin in 1931 and returned to Listowel, where he lived for the remainder of his life.

He became principal teacher of Scoil Réalta na Maidine and taught there for 44 years. During the Second World War, MacMahon worked in factories in England. He wrote about this experience in his 'Plain People of England' column for The Bell magazine. He opened a book shop in his wife Kitty's name on the main street of Listowel.

His wife, Kathleen “Kitty” Ryan was born on 14 June 1911 in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, to parents James Ryan and Ellen Ryan (nee O’Connor). MacMahon and Ryan were married in the Roman Catholic Church of Cashel on 4 November 1936. Together they had five sons. His sons include Bryan MacMahon, a judge of the Irish High Court and Garry MacMahon, who played Gaelic football for the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1958-1962. One of his other sons, Owen, is a solicitor with PG MacMahon Solicitors LLP.