Francis Harvey papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-2018-051

Scope and Contents

Papers of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Irish poet, playwright, and fiction writer Francis Harvey, composed of audiovisual recordings, correspondence, diaries and notes, collected ephemera, and writings. His correspondence is both personal and professional and includes letters from contemporary poets Gerald Dawe, John F. Deane, Madge Herron, Anthony Glavin, Benedict Kiely, and many more.

The bulk of the collection consists of drafts of Harvey’s writings, which over time evolved from plays and short stories to radio scripts and poetry. His writing process is represented through notebooks and loose notes, to manuscripts and typescripts that he submitted for publication, both individually and in collections. Many poems were written on any ephemera Harvey had at hand, including envelopes, newspapers, and old school exam books.

Dates

Creation: 1940 - 2025

Creator

Harvey, Francis, 1925-2014 (Person)

Language of Materials

Predominantly in English with some French and Italian.

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Audio and video recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; if possible, reformatting will be scheduled.

Conditions Governing Use

These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.

Biographical note: Francis Harvey

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Francis James Harvey was born on April 13, 1925, in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, to Gertrude Cassidy and Hamilton Morrissey Harvey. After Harvey's father died when Harvey was six, his mother moved the family to County Donegal, where Harvey would live most of his life. He attended University College, Dublin, where he studied medicine for a year before leaving to take a job as a banker. Harvey worked at the Bank of Ireland until 1979, when he left to focus on his literary career. In the 1950s, he married Agnes Gormley, and they had daughters Attracta, Esther, Danea, Pauline, and Joan.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Harvey published several short stories and had many of his plays produced on stage and radio. His play Farewell to Every White Cascade won an RTÉ play writing competition in 1958 and was broadcast on RTÉ and BBC in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Harvey decided to shift his focus to poetry. His collections of poetry include In the Light on the Stones (1978), The Rainmakers (1988), The Boa Island Janus (1996), Making Space, New & Selected Poems (2000), Collected Poems (2007), with an introduction by Moya Cannon, and Donegal Haiku (2013). In 1977, Harvey won The Irish Times/Yeats Summer School Prize. His poem "Heron" won the 1989 Guardian and World Wildlife Fund Poetry Competition. He won a Peterloo Poets Prize in 1990, was a prize winner in the Cardiff International Poetry Competition, and received an Arts Council Bursary Award in 1991. He was also a member of Aosdána, an Irish association of artists.

On November 7, 2014, Harvey died after a short illness at the age of 89.

Sources:

Kelly, Conor. "Mountain Dreams – Brief Poems by Francis Harvey", accessed October 15, 2025. https://briefpoems.wordpress.com/tag/francis-harvey/

"The Lyric Feature." RTÉ lyric fm, September 5, 2014. https://www.rte.ie/radio/lyricfm/the-lyric-feature/2014/0905/641809-the-lyric-feature-friday-5-september-2014/

Moriarty, Gerry. "Donegal poet and playwright Francis Harvey dies at age of 89." The Irish Times, November 10, 2014. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/donegal-poet-and-playwright-francis-harvey-dies-at-age-of-89-1.1993866

"Poet grandson of Townhall contractor is buried in Enniskillen." The Impartial Reporter, November 13, 2014. https://www.impartialreporter.com/news/13868739.Poet_grandson_of_Townhall_contractor_is_buried_in_Enniskillen/

Full Extent

23.25 Linear Feet (24 containers)

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers document the work of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Irish poet, playwright, and fiction writer Francis Harvey through his correspondence, diaries and notes, collected ephemera, and writings. Also included are recordings of readings and interviews in which Harvey participated.

Arrangement

Arranged in four series: I. Personal records and ephemera; II. Correspondence; III. Readings and interviews; and IV. Writings.

Series IV. is further arranged in five subseries: A. Book reviews and forewords; B. Plays; C. Poetry; D. The Riordans; and E. Short stories and novellas.

Each series and subseries is arranged alphabetically.

Provenance

Purchased from Kennys Bookshop & Art Gallery, 2018.

Gift of Esther Harvey, daughter of Francis Harvey, 2019, 2025.

Related Materials

Boston College collection of Thomas Kinsella, BC.2022.049, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Brendan Behan letters, MS.2002.008, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Flann O'Brien papers, MS.1997.027, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Gerald Dawe papers, MS.2000.016, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Gerard Fanning papers, MS.2020.045, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

John F. Deane papers, MS.2002.009, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill papers, MS.1997.012, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Seán Lucy papers, MS.1991.004, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.

Separated Materials

Published works associated with this collection have been transferred within the Burns Library and can be found in the Boston College Library catalog.