New book tells story of world famous Irish journalist you've never heard of

Irish Daily Mirror

29-04-2025

He is one of the most famous journalists Ireland ever produced, but the name Emile Dillon is not widely known.
Now a new book about the newspaperman who rose from the slums of Victorian Dublin to become a world renowned war correspondent brings him to life.
Author Kevin Rafter tells Emile Dillon's story in his book Dillon Rediscovered, where he charts his life and career. He recounts how Dillon witnessed some of the most dramatic events in history, such as the assassination of a Russian tsar and bloody massacres in Armenia.
Dillon was born Emile Joseph Dillon in 1854 and grew up near Dublin's Four Courts, the son of a hardware store owner. His father was a devout Catholic who wanted his son to be a priest, but Dillon had other academic ambitions.
He travelled to Europe and then on to Russia, where he made his name as an authority on the vast country. He was friends with literary figures such as Leo Tolstoy.
He rose to prominence as special correspondent with the Daily Telegraph. He was also a political advisor, author and academic.
The book draws on never-seen-before letters and notebooks, to reveal a complicated personal life including marriages in Russia and Bulgaria and family conflict. He died in Barcelona in 1933.
Here, author Kevin Rafter gives Irish Mirror readers the run down on the great Irish journalist.
Emile was a famous newspaper journalist. He was born into a poor family in Dublin in 1854 but died a wealthy man in 1933. In between, he lived a remarkable life. He knew all the powerful politicians in Europe and beyond.
For someone so influential, he actually had a soft voice and a quiet manner. He was an expert story-teller and was known for his vast store of anecdotes. He also loved Turkish cigarettes.
The Dillon family lived in a small house behind the Four Courts. The house co-existed with a hardware shop owned by Emile's father. It was open from 7 am to 10 pm seven days a week. Tools cluttered the cobblestoned street outside the house. They also filled the living room in the house.
Life was hard. Emile thought Dublin was 'dull and drab'. But he did have some happy childhood memories. He loved outings to the Strawberry Beds, the Phoenix Park and travelling by jaunting car to a fair in Donnybrook. He remembered the sights and sounds of bagpipes, tumblers of Guinness, ginger beer bottles, and the beating of drums.
Emile's father was a deeply religious man and he desperately wanted his only son to become a priest. He. So in 1868, the 15-year old Emile arrived at Clonliffe College in north Dublin. He hated the experience, and he left a few months later. As a result, Emile fell out with his father and over the next decade he led a wanderlust life across Europe. He eventually settled in Russia where he lived hand-to-mouth by teaching English and translating documents. He was also writing for some local newspapers. His life then took another dramatic turn when he was appointed as a foreign correspondent with the Daily Telegraph of London.
He became one of the giants of Fleet Street at a time when the papers were the only source of news. He reported on huge stories like the Armenia massacres in the 1890s, the Boxer Rising in China, the Russian Revolution and World War I.
He also reported on the second trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Many people believed Dreyfus had been wrongly convicted of treason for allegedly passing military secrets to the German embassy in Paris. It was a huge international story. Emile wrote three to six articles every day. One colleague said he was such 'a demon for work' that it was 'a marvel that his hand has not long ago been crippled with writer's cramp.'
Emile was the highest paid foreign correspondent at the Daily Telegraph. His notebooks list purchases including, cigars a sailor suit for his youngest son, whiskey, writing paper, silk handkerchiefs, gloves, ink, collars, ties and a top hat. All these expenses were charged to his employer. I think it's fair to say these were the glory days of foreign correspondents.
When he was on foreign assignments he often faced travel restrictions imposed on journalists. So he would dress up, sometimes as a woman, a priest, even a tribal chief. When he was reporting on a rebellion in Crete he dressed as a Greek monk. Because he spoke some Italian, Emile was thrust into ceasefire talks as an interpreter between the rebels and an Italian admiral who was part of an international peacekeeping force. The admiral was clearly convinced by the disguise. When they parted he picked up Emile's rifle and handed it to him. 'I gave him my blessing as devoutly as I knew how,' Emile admitted.
He married a Russian widow and they had three sons. But he neglected his family. He was a workaholic and was always travelling to the next foreign story.
His relations with his various secretaries were also a source of gossip. When he divorced his wife in Paris in 1913, a year later he married his secretary in Romania. He had 'serious misgivings' because of their age difference. Kathleen was only 26. Emile was turning 60. But it was a genuine love affair. He ordered a wedding ring for Kathleen made from 'the finest Russian gold'.
Kevin Rafter is Full Professor of Political Communication at DCU and author of Dillon Rediscovered, which is published this week. The former journalist has worked for the Irish Times and RTE, among many others. His book Dillon Rediscovered is out this week, priced €20.