Editing Thomas MacDonagh (section)

==Early life==
He was born [[Cloughjordan]], [[County Tipperary]], to Joseph McDonagh, a schoolmaster, and Mary Parker. He grew up in a household filled with music, poetry and learning and was instilled with a love of both [[Culture of England|English]] and [[Irish culture]] from a young age.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} His brothers included future [[Sinn Féin]] politician, [[Joseph MacDonagh|Joseph]], and film director [[John MacDonagh|John]].

Both his parents were teachers;<ref>{{Cite book | last = Roche | first = Anthony | title = The UCD aesthetic: celebrating 150 years of UCD writers | publisher = New Island | year = 2005 | location = Dublin | page = 31 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JrplAAAAMAAJ&q=parents+teachers | isbn = 978-1-904301-82-0 | access-date = 6 October 2016 | archive-date = 6 May 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170506092953/https://books.google.com/books?id=JrplAAAAMAAJ&q=parents+teachers | url-status = live }}</ref> who strongly emphasised education. MacDonagh attended [[Rockwell College]].<ref>{{Cite book | last = Walsh | first = Brendan | title = The pedagogy of protest: the educational thought and work of Patrick H. Pearse | publisher = Peter Lang | year = 2007 | page = 226 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UA3fbLv1EQoC&pg=PA226 | isbn = 978-3-03910-941-8 | access-date = 29 October 2020 | archive-date = 23 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210923022904/https://books.google.com/books?id=UA3fbLv1EQoC&pg=PA226 | url-status = live }}</ref> While there MacDonagh spent several years as a scholastic, sometimes a preparation for a missionary career, however, after a few years he realised that it wasn't the life for him, and left.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Norstedt | first = Johann | title = The gift of reputation: Yeats and MacDonagh | journal = Éire-Ireland | volume = 19 | issue = 3 | page = 136 | publisher = Irish American Cultural Institute | date = Fall 1984 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2Fe1AAAAIAAJ&q=Thomas+MacDonagh+priesthood | issn = 0013-2683 | access-date = 13 November 2010 | archive-date = 23 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210923022904/https://books.google.com/books?id=2Fe1AAAAIAAJ&q=Thomas+MacDonagh+priesthood | url-status = live }}</ref> Very soon after, he published his first book of poems, ''Through the Ivory Gate'', in 1902.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Thomas MacDonagh | work = Ricorso | url = http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/index.htm | access-date = 17 November 2010 | archive-date = 25 July 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725083231/http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/index.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> He taught in [[St Kieran's College]] in Kilkenny and from 1903 he was employed as a professor of French, English and Latin at [[St. Colman's College, Fermoy|St. Colman's College]], [[Fermoy]], County Cork, where he also formed a branch of the [[Gaelic League]]. While in Fermoy, MacDonagh was one of the founding members of [[Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland|ASTI]], the secondary teachers trade union which was formed in the Fermoy College in 1908.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kenna |first1=Shane |title=Thomas MacDonagh: 16 Lives |date=2014 |publisher=O'Brien Press}}</ref> He moved to [[Dublin]], soon establishing strong friendships with such men as [[Eoin MacNeill]] and [[Patrick Pearse]].