Dorothy Macardle (1889-1958)

“It would be strange, indeed, if the vigour and content of the living could not banish the lingering sorrows of the dead.” – The Uninvited (1941)

Dorothy Macardle—historian, playwright, journalist, and novelist—was born in Dundalk, Co. Louth. She was educated at Alexandra College in Dublin where she later lectured in English literature. She is best remembered for her seminal treatise on Ireland’s struggle for independence, The Irish Republic (1937), but also wrote novels of the uncanny, including The Uninvited (1941), The Unforeseen (1946), and Dark Enchantment (1953). She died in Drogheda and is buried in St. Fintan’s Cemetery, Sutton.

 Novels and Collections

Earth-Bound and Other Supernatural Tales (1924)

The Uninvited (1941)

The Unforeseen (1946)

The Dark Enchantment (1953)

Short Stories

“Samhain” (1924)

“The Prisoner” (1924)

“The Portrait of Roisin Dhu” (1924)

“The Venetian Mirror” (1924)

Find out more about Irish Writers of the Fantastic.

In 2016 Swan River Press reprinted Dorothy Macardle’s debut collection Earth-Bound—ghost stories written in both Kilmainham Gaol and Mountjoy Prison—in a lavish, limited edition hardback. This is the first time the book has been reprinted since 1924. With a new introduction by Peter Berresford Ellis, and the addition of stories uncovered in the archives, Earth-Bound and Other Supernatural Tales is the perfect way to rediscover the work of an extraordinary writer.

We’ve also featured Macardle quite extensively in various issues of The Green Book. Issue 7 not only includes a lengthy article on the life and works of Macardle, “A Reflection of Ghosts” by Peter Berresford Ellis, but the same issue reprints two of her poems, “Easter” and “The City”.  In Issue 8 we reprinted a hitherto unpublished short story by Macardle called “The Boys’ Room”, which includes a fascinating introduction by scholar Terri Neil.