In 1880, Blanaid Salkeld was born Florence Ffrench-Mullen, in India, to Irish parents. As a widow with two sons Salkeld returned to Ireland in 1908 where she remained until her death in 1958. Her son, Cecil ffrench Salkeld became a well-known artist and one of her two grand-daughters, Beatrice, married Brendan Behan. During the decades of the Irish Free State Salkeld was actively involved in different facets of Dublin artistic life. She was a poet, playwright, actor, publisher, salonnière, translator, and reviewer. Examined in this article are the current findings and initial insights gleaned from a collection of Salkeld’s private papers. This exploration is structured around the inter-related themes of Salkeld’s literary development and reception, her published and unpublished poetry, how national and international politics affected her writing, Gayfield Press (1937–1946) and her extensive national and international literary networks. Covering the period from the early 1930s to the late 1950s these papers reflect the diverse character of Salkeld’s activities, including her eclectic literary, creative, and business interests. Revealed here, for the first time, is information on how Salkeld interacted with and navigated the challenging social and cultural environment of the Irish Free State decades. This article advances understanding of Salkeld’s life and contributes to the still evolving tapestry of artistic and literary life during the years of the Irish Free State.
Gráinne Condon (Sat,) studied this question.