Matthias Bodkin

For his father, see Matthias McDonnell Bodkin.

Matthias Bodkin aka Matthias McDonnell Bodkin, Jesuit priest and author, 26 June 1896 – 2 November 1973.

Bodkin was a son of Matthias McDonnell Bodkin;[1] he never used his middle name, to differentiate himself from his father.

He was ordained in Dublin in 1931.[2] He served as a Royal Navy chaplain during the Second World War, in Derry and aboard HMS Anson in the Pacific.

He was a prolific writer on religious subjects, but also adventure stories for boys (usually as M. Bodkin). In 1940, he published Halt Invader! – an account of a secret attempt to establish a (foreign) military base in Northern Donegal, which is discovered by two visiting schoolchildren.

His most acclaimed work was a biography of John Sullivan, a fellow Jesuit, published as The Port of Tears in 1954.[1]

In later life, his eyesight began to fail, so he turned to retreat work and counselling. He died in Dublin.

He was a brother of Thomas Bodkin.[1] He was also a descendant of the Tribes of Galway.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Larkin, Felix M. "Bodkin, Matthias McDonnell". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Bodkin, Matthias, 1896-1973, Jesuit priest and chaplain". Jesuit Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2025.

References

  • Thomas Bodkin: a bio-bibliographical survey, with a bibliographical survey of his family, Alan Denson, 1966.
  • Dictionary of Irish Biography, p. 627, Cambridge, 2010.
  • Halt Invader, Browne & Nolan, Dublin, 1940.
  • Ricorso website
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