Nationality 1: Irish

Nationality 2: American

Birthdate: 1912

Deathdate: 1996

Mary Lavin was born in East Walpole, Massachusetts in 1912 to Thomas and Nora Lavin, who were both Irish immigrants. The family moved back to Ireland in 1922, living first in Athenry, County Galway, and later in Dublin.

In Dublin, Mary attended the Loreto Convent School, and in 1934 she graduated from University College, where she received honors in English. In 1936 she completed a thesis on Jane Austen that earned her a master of arts. She was working toward a Ph.D. and teaching French at the Loreto Convent School when she wrote her first short story, “Miss Holland.” After many rejections, “Miss Holland” was finally published by Dublin magazine in 1938.

Lavin married William Walsh, an Irish barrister, in 1942 and a year later they had a daughter whom they named Valentine. Also in 1942, Lavin had a collection of her short stories published entitled...