Edmund Spenser (1552 – 13 January 1599). the old English poet who was famous for writing the Fairie Queen may have had connections with Effin and it is unsure if he lived there for a while.

How was this possible? Spenser acquired his main estate at Kilcolman, near Doneraile in North Cork and was appointed by the Bishop of St Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick as a prebendary of the parish of Effin, of which he received a sum of 100 pounds a year. Part of his brief was to preach to the heathen Irish,

During part of my research, I came across two articles in mentioning Spensers connection with Effin in the 1580?s. I hope to explore more on this at a later on but for now enjoy the articles below.

When he went back to England he wrote the “Fairy Queen” may be inspired by the number of fairy forts in the parish of Effin, and who knows he may have had an encounter with one of the Fairies.

Spenser in Ireland

Author(s): Frederic Ives Carpenter
Source: Modern Philology, Vol. 19, No. 4 (May, 1922), pp. 405-419
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/433516

and

Spenser and the Clerkship in Munster
Author(s): Raymond JenkinsSource: PMLA, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Mar., 1932), pp. 109-121
Published by: Modern Language Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/458022

Have a read and decide for yourself.