Editing John Banim (section)

==Early life==
John Banim was born in [[Kilkenny]], Ireland. His father was a farmer and shopkeeper.<ref name=Flaherty>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02251a.htm Flaherty, Matthew James. "John & Michael Banim." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 25 July 2021{{PD-notice}}</ref> At age four, his parents sent him to a local [[dame school]]s where he learned the basics of [[Reading (process)|reading]] and [[grammar]]. At age five, Banim was sent to the English Academy at Kilkenny where his older brother [[Michael Banim|Michael]] (1796–1874) was a student. This school is described in Michael Banim's novel ''Father Connell''. It is believed to have been situated in [[Rothe House]]. After five years at the English Academy, John Banim was sent to a [[seminary]] run by a Reverent Magrath, considered to be the finest [[Roman Catholic]] school in Ireland.<ref name=Webb>{{cite IrishBio|wstitle=Banim, John}}</ref> After a year at the seminary, Banim transferred to another academy run by a teacher named Terence Doyle.

Throughout his school years, Banim read avidly and wrote his own stories and [[poems]]. As a boy, he invented a birthday tradition where he would gather all of his writings from the previous year, re-read them critically, and then burn the ones he found lacking.<ref name="Life">{{cite book |title=The Life of John Banim |last=Murray |first=Patrick Joseph |year=1857 |publisher=William Kay |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/lifejohnbanim00murrgoog |access-date=3 November 2011}}</ref> When he was ten, Banim visited the poet [[Thomas Moore]], bringing along some of his own poetry in manuscript. Moore encouraged Banim to continue writing and gave him a season ticket to his private theatre in Kilkenny, where Moore himself was performing at the time.<ref name="Life"/>

At age 13, Banim entered [[Kilkenny College]], where he devoted himself specially to [[drawing]] and [[Portrait miniature|miniature painting]]. He pursued his artistic education for two years in the schools of the [[Royal Dublin Society]], and afterwards taught drawing in Kilkenny. The 18-year-old Banim soon fell in love with one of his pupils, a 17-year-old girl named Anne. However, the girl's parents disapproved of their relationship and sent her out of town.  Anne died two months later of [[tuberculosis]].<ref name="Life"/> Her death made a deep impression on Banim, who himself contracted spinal tuberculosis.<ref name=Ricorso>[http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/b/Banim_J/life.htm "John Banim (1798-1842)", Ricorso]</ref>