McAllister, Alister

Irish dramatist, author and pub-owner, born in Dublin and christened as Alexander McAllister. He himself, as well as those around him, however used an older, Scottish form of the first name, Alister, which is formally accepted. He grew up and was educated in his birth town; after attending Clongowes Wood College he graduated with a B.A. at the National University of Ireland. In 1908, he found employment as head of an administrative department at the university where he stayed until 1914 when he was obliged to do military service during the war.