Who is Bram Stoker?
The somewhat forgotten man of Irish Literature, Bram (Abraham) Stoker was born in Clontarf in November 1847. He endured a sickly childhood and didn’t walk until he was seven years of age. However his recovery was full and he went on to win sporting medals while studying for a degree in Trinity College. He then followed his father’s footsteps into the old Imperial Civil Service at Dublin Castle. Bram was an unhappy Civil Servant as his abounding interest in drama was his first love. Attending shows at Dublin’s Gaiety, Queens and Theatre Royal he wrote a regular drama review column for the Dublin Daily Mail newspaper in the 1870’s. The work greatly contributed to nurturing the dramatic scene in Dublin and helped pave the way for the founding of the National Theatre later. In December, 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe – who had been courted by Oscar Wilde – and moved to England where he took up a position as secretary to his great acting idol, Henry Irving, and acting manager of Irvi
