Lover, Samuel

(1797-1868)

   Born and educated in Dublin, of great musical and artistic talent, he turned his back on his father's stock broking business and became a successful painter of portraits and miniatures both in Dublin and in London. In 1828 he was elected to the Royal Hibernian Academy. In 1832 he painted the miniature of the celebrated violinist Paganini, exhibited at the Dublin Academy. In London he branched out and wrote novels and musical dramas, but in 1844 failing eyesight forced him to abandon art. The "Irish Evening"- which he first performed at the Princess's Concert Rooms, London, and repeated in Canada and the USA-was a solo performance of monologues, songs, recitations, and stories, all written by him. He died in Dublin. Some of his poetry publications: Rory O'More, 1826 (ballad, later a novel and a play). Songs and Ballads, 1858. Metrical Tales, 1860. Original Songs, 1861. Some of his poems: "Father Land and Mother Tongue," "Father Molloy," "Live in My Heart and Pay No Rent," "Paddy O'Rafther," "The Birth of Saint Patrick," "The Low-backed Car," "The Quakers' Meeting," "The War Ship of Peace."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). Oldpoetry (www.oldpoetry.com). Poems for Seasons and Celebrations. William Cole, ed. World, 1961. Poems of American History. Burton Egbert Stevenson, ed. Houghton Mifflin, 1922. Second Treasury of the Familiar. Ralph L. Woods, ed. Macmillan, 1950. The Bride's Book of Poems. Cary Yager, ed. Contemporary Books, 1995. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Home Book of Verse for Young Folks. Burton Egbert Stevenson, ed. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1929. The Home Book of Modern Verse. Burton Egbert Stevenson, ed. Henry Holt, 1953.