Plaque unveiled to honour Norah Hoult

A plaque to honour Norah Hoult, Irish writer of novels and short stories, was unveiled on Saturday (20th) by Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam, at Norah’s home in 25 Ashfield Park, Terenure. 

Born on 20th September in 1894, Eleanor Lucy Hoult known by her pen name Norah Hoult was one of Ireland’s most prolific and popular authors of the 20th century, and also one of the most censored in Ireland. 

Norah spent her formative years in Dublin before a double tragedy.

Both of her parents died when she was just nine years old and she went to live with relatives in England.

She returned to live in Dublin afterwards, between stays in New York and London.

Norah died in Greystones, Co. Wicklow in 1984. 

Hoult wrote twenty-three novels and three short story collections.

Her work deals primarily with themes of alcohol abuse, prostitution, class dynamics and ill-fated marriages.

Her first collection, Poor Women! was published in 1928, and Hoult wrote two further collections, Nine Years is a Long Time and Cocktail Bar.

Her novels include Time, Gentlemen, Time!, Holy Ireland, Four Women Grow Up, The Last Days of Miss Jenkinson and There Were No Windows, which was reissued by Persephone Books in 2005. 

Speaking at the unveiling Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam said, “Norah was an observer of characters facing adversity across the world she knew rather than a classic traditional Irish writer, hidebound by place. Just two of her novels were set in Ireland, but the canon of literature she created, 23 novels and hundreds of short stories, was born of Dublin.”

 He concluded, “She was not writing about happy times or happy people, as some would have preferred her to do.

“She was a victim of what would nowadays be called cancel culture.

“In Ireland of her lifetime it was banning culture, where the censorship board decided that the themes of her books, frequently alcohol abuse, domestic violence, prostitution and doomed marriages, were too risqué for the Irish reading classes.

“The disdain of the censorship board contrasted with the acclaim she achieved abroad in her lifetime.

“For a combination of reasons, she did not win the enduring fame that she deserved. Our small ceremony and this plaque is a way of redressing that.”

Sineád Gleeson, Irish writer and proposer of the plaque said, “I’m delighted that Norah Hoult’s vital contribution to Irish literature is finally being recognised with this plaque.

“Its ten years since I included one of her stories in The Long Gaze Back, and anthologies – like plaques – can draw attention to authors who have fallen out of the spotlight.

“Hoult’s work was courageous in an Ireland that feared many subjects on the page, but in recent years more people are discovering her important work.”

 The decision to erect the plaque was made by the Dublin City Council Commemorations & Naming Committee, whose chair, Councillor Donna Cooney, said, “The Commemorative Plaques Scheme allows the City to formally commemorate people who have made a significant contribution to the life of Dublin.

“We welcome suggestions from the public for people and events to be commemorated.

“We particularly welcome proposals for plaques for women. Full details are on the Council website.”

 Irish writers, Sineád Gleeson and Louise Kennedy proposed that the plaque be erected.

Both spoke at the unveiling ceremony, recounting Norah’s life and literary works.