Alice Curtayne
Alice Curtayne (1898–1981) was an Irish author and lecturer. She was born on 6 Nov 1898, 2 Upper Castle St, Tralee, Co. Kerry. She was a daughter of John Curtayne, carriage builder, or coach builder, of Castle St, Tralee, by his wife Bridget Mary O'Dwyer.
She was educated at St. Anne's, Southampton. Married Stephen Rynne with two sons and two daughters.
Her first book was St Catherine of Siena (1929). After Catherine of Siena she wrote several works of nationalist history including a life of Patrick Sarsfield (1934).[1] The novel House of Cards (1940) concerns an Irish girl who marries an Italian industrialist.
Alice lectured extensively in the USA including at least three trans-American tours.
She gave the Medora A. Feehan Lectures in Irish History and Literature at Anna Maria College, Paxton Massachusetts U.S.A. in the Spring semester of 1959. The College awarded her an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters and she was presented with the Key to Worcester City by Mayor James D. O'Brien.
In December 1954 The Irish Press sent her to Rome to write daily reports on the close of The Marian Year. She went to Rome again fro the final session of the Second Vatican Council. She was commissioned to send weekly reports to the local newspapers The Carlow Nationalist and The Kerryman. She also sent a series of Profiles of outstanding personages of this Vatican Council to "The Universe" and an article for "Hibernia" journal.
Bibliography
Her works, chiefly biographical, include
- St. Catherine of Siena (1929),
- A Recall to Dante
- Labours in the Vineyard (a translation from the Italian Giovanni Papini)
- Saint Brigid of Ireland
- Saint Anthony of Padua
- House of Cards (a novel)
- Borne of the Wind (essays)
- Lough Derg
- Twenty Tales of Irish Saints
- More Tales of Irish Saints
- Jean-Baptiste Debrabant
- Patrick Sarsfield (1934),
- The Trial of Oliver Plunkett (1953)
- The Irish Story (1962)
- Francis Ledwidge: A Life of the Poet (1972).
- The Complete works of Francis Ledwidge
She also wrote for several newspapers. Also many articles in the very sophisticated and internationally known The Capuchin Annual (1930 to 1977)