Mary Jane Joyce

Mary Jane Joyce

Mother of James Joyce. Of a modest, respectable County Leitrim family, Mary Jane Murray spent several years studying music with her aunts in Dublin. She met John Joyce in a church choir and they married in 1880 despite parental opposition. James, their eldest surviving son, was born in 1882. The Joyces lived well for about 12 years, but afterwards, she faced a continuous struggle to feed and clothe her ever-increasing family. A pious woman, May deplored her eldest son's loose living and apostacy yet maintained contact and even sent him money occasionally. Worn out at age 44, she died of cancer in 1903. Tim O'Neill