author
Robert John Buckley
1847–1938
Best known as a Birmingham music critic, church organist, and author, he wrote with strong opinions and a wide range of interests. His books move from musical biography to sharp commentary on Ireland and public life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
1 Audiobook
Ireland as it is, and as it would be under Home Rule
by Robert John Buckley
About the author
Born in Monaghan, Ireland, on July 14, 1847, Robert John Buckley became a well-known figure in Birmingham's musical world. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, served as an organist at St Mary's Church in Birmingham, and built a long career as a music critic, composer, journalist, and author.
Buckley wrote extensively for the Birmingham Gazette and published books on both music and politics. His works include Sir Edward Elgar and The Birmingham Stage, as well as Ireland as It Is, and as It Would Be Under Home Rule, which drew on his reporting and observations during a turbulent political period. That mix of musical knowledge and public commentary gives his writing a distinctive voice.
He died on December 26, 1938. Today, he is remembered as a lively man of letters whose work captured both the cultural life of Birmingham and the debates of his time.