Moore, Thomas

Moore, Thomas (1779-1852), Irish poet of the Romantic Movement. He was born in Dublin and educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He lived chiefly in London, except for travels to North America in 1803 and a sojourn in Paris after 1817. He was a close friend of Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Moore's verse, characterized by a nostalgic song-like quality, deals with themes of patriotism and love. His first significant work, a translation of Odes of Anacreon (1800), catapulted him to fame. Lalla Rookh (1817), a four-part narrative poem set in exotic India, was also very popular and established Moore's reputation among his contemporaries as rivalling that of Byron and Sir Walter Scott. Irish Melodies (1807-1834), a collection of 130 poems that included such famous titles as “The Last Rose of Summer”, “The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls”, and “The Minstrel Boy”, is considered his major work. Moore also wrote a satire, The Fudge Family in Paris (1818), a History of Ireland (1827), and a fine biography (1830) of his friend Lord Byron, whose memoirs he burned to protect the poet's reputation.