| O’Nolan
adopted Brother Barnabas during his days
in University College. At the University
College, O’Nolan rejuvenated the College
Magazine renaming it Comhthrom
Feinne. O’Nolan contributed to
his magazine under his Irish name, and more
often, under his pen name, Brother Barnabas.
O’Nolan’s magazine quickly became
a chimerical work, viewed as “a weird
mixture of poetry, parody, literary criticism,
and mock-sensationalism” (Sheridan
35). Brother Barnabas’s articles generally
garnered the most attention. Using bizarre,
and often morbid headlines, Brother Barnabas
quickly gained notoriety amongst students
at University College. Examples of Brother
Barnabas’s headlines read:
|
According
to O’Nolan, Brother Barnabas was a
“statesmen, diplomat, [and] international
financier” (Asbee 5). The ludicrous
figure was born in 1691 and became president
of Ireland in 1945 (Asbee 5). |
