Joseph Campbell: The story of the forgotten Belfast poet who became an Irish rebel

Historian Jason Burke charts the life of the Belfast-born man, best known for My Lagan Love, whose life was a blend of artistic endeavours and political significance Joseph Campbell (inset) found himself playing a role in the Easter Rising. Back in 2020, while searching for some inspiration for a new lecture series based on the treasure-laden archives of Belfast’s Linen Hall Library, I came across a box of material relating to the Ulster Literary Theatre. It contained many interesting items, most of which had belonged to Rutherford Mayne — a pseudonym for Samuel John Waddell — Irish playwright and founder member of the Ulster Literary Theatre in 1904 alongside Belfast-born poet Joseph Campbell.

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