Dumbing Us Down

Thomas Moore was born May 28, 1779, in Dublin. Moore entered Trinity College in 1794, even though he was Roman Catholic, on the college rolls he was listed as Protestant. Moore's friend and classmate Robert Emmet, was a member of the United Irishmen, a group dedicated to freeing Ireland from the English. Emmet's involvement in various rebellions and his subsequent execution, recur in Moore's work. Moore managed to stay in favor with the English, while writing in favour of Irish independence and produced some severely critical works about the treatment of the Irish peasants by their landlords.

In 1799, Moore went to England to study law. He became a social success in London, due in part to his friendship with the earl of Moira. This led to the publication of the translated Odes of Anacreon, dedicated to the Prince of Wales. In 1803, Lord Moira's influence arranged a post for Moore in Bermuda, but he appointed a deputy soon after his arrival there, toured America and Canada, writing poetry all the way and returned to England to publish the work.

Moore was a well-known singer, and his publisher suggested a book of Irish songs to the music of Sir John Stevenson. The Irish Ballads were a resounding success, and paid well for the next 25 years. Another successful field for Moore was political satire and his main target was his former patron, the Prince Regent. Moore became friends with Lord Byron and the two corresponded constantly. They played off of each other until Byron's death, where upon Moore became the executor of Byron's Memoirs.

In 1835, Moore was granted a Civil List pension, which equaled £300 a year. He was also elected to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1842, he received the Order of Merit from Frederick the Great of Prussia. Moore lapsed into senile dementia in in 1849 and died a few years later on February 25, 1852.

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