author
1859–1949
An Irish barrister, scholar, and novelist, he wrote historical fiction rooted in Ireland’s past while building a legal and public career. His books and poetry show a writer equally at home with storytelling, politics, and academic life.
by S. R. (Samuel Robert) Keightley
Born in Belfast on January 13, 1859, Samuel Robert Keightley studied classics and law at Queen's College, Belfast, and later served on the first senate of Queen's University. Before being called to the Irish Bar in 1883, he had already published a volume of poems, A King's Daughter.
Although he practiced law, he continued writing and by the end of the nineteenth century had published several novels set against Irish historical backgrounds. He also entered public life, standing for Parliament more than once, first as an Independent Unionist and later in the Liberal interest.
Keightley was knighted in 1912. He married Gertrude Emily Smith in 1892, lived for many years in Lisburn, and died in County Leix in 1949 at the age of 90. A suitable confirmed portrait image was not found during this search.