author
Aubrey De Vere
1814–1902
An Irish poet and critic whose work links the age of Wordsworth with later literary Ireland, he wrote verse and essays shaped by faith, history, and a deep sense of place. His poems often aim for moral seriousness without losing their lyrical grace.
4 Audiobooks
Legends of the Saxon Saints
by Aubrey De Vere
The Legends of Saint Patrick
by Aubrey De Vere
May Carols
by Aubrey De Vere
The foray of Queen Meave, and other legends of Ireland's heroic age
by Aubrey De Vere
About the author
Born at Curragh Chase in County Limerick on January 10, 1814, Aubrey Thomas de Vere grew up in a literary family; his father, Sir Aubrey de Vere, was also a poet. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and became part of a wide circle of writers and thinkers, including William Wordsworth, whose friendship mattered greatly to his development.
De Vere is best known as an Irish poet and critic. He wrote lyrical poems, dramatic poems, travel writing, and reflective prose, often returning to subjects such as religion, national history, and the spiritual meaning of ordinary life. His work was admired for its seriousness and refinement, and he was seen as an important literary voice bridging Romantic poetry and later Irish writing.
He converted to Roman Catholicism in the 1850s, a step that shaped much of his later work. De Vere continued writing for many decades and died on January 20, 1902. Though he is less widely read now than some of his contemporaries, he remains a distinctive figure in 19th-century Irish literature.