Percy French

French was born in Cloonyquin, Co. Roscommon on 1 May 1854. His family were Anglo-lrish gentry and he enjoyed a sheltered 'big house' childhood.. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1872, but some years passed before he graduated as a civil engineer, for he showed a preference for 'the banjo, lawn tennis and water-colour painting instead of chemistry, geology and the theory of strains'. His first popular song, 'Abdallah Bulbul Ameer' was written in 1877 for a TCD smoking-concert, but his failure to copyright it denied him royalties, and a pirated version quickly appeared in London.

In 1881 French was appointed to the Board of Works in Co. Cavan, and as an inspector of drains bicycled throughout the county. His rural encounters inspired songs such as 'Phil the Fluter's Ball' and 'Slattery's Mounted Fut'. Sacked during an economy drive, French became editor of The Jarvey, a new comic magazine on the lines of Punch, but it folded soon after its appearance in 1889.

In 1891 he collaborated with William Houston Collisson a well-known Dublin pianist and arranger, on a musical, The Knight of the Road, followed in 1892 by Strongbow.

Meanwhile, his young wife had died in childbirth, and French decided to make a living as a performer. He and two friends had put on an entertainment called Dublin Up-to-Date, with songs, recitations and lightning sketches drawn by French and William Orpen, later a famous artist. He now turned this into a one-man show which he toured profitably throughout Ireland. His collaboration with Collisson continued, notably in a new show Midsummer Madness (1893).

In 1894 French married an English actress who had appeared in Strongbow, and successful tours outside Ireland persuaded him to move to London in 1906. His water-colours also became popular, and he held regular exhibitions there. Annual tours in Ireland continued to draw large audiences and provided many opportunities for painting.

Sentimental and comic songs flowed readily from French's pen, notably 'The Mountains of Mourne', 'Eileen Oge' and 'Come Back, Paddy Reilly'. 'Are Ye Right There, Michael?' was inspired by the unreliable narrow gauge line of the West Clare Railway Company, which he successfully sued when a breakdown made him miss a concert. French was returning from a Scottish tour when he took ill and died at Formby, Lancashire, on 24 January 1920.

From the Appletree Press title Famous Irish Writers by Martin Wallace