Olivia Knight

Olivia Knight (29 September 1828? – 2 June 1908) also known as Mrs Hope Connolly was an Irish-Australian poet, essayist, translator and teacher. She also published under the names "Thomasine" and "Celtica".

Early life Olivia Mary Knight was born probably on 29 September 1828 in Rathbawn, Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. Her parents were Simon, a civil engineer, and his wife, Sarah (possibly née D'Alton). Knight had one brother, Arthur E. Patrick Knight. Her paternal uncle, Patrick Knight was also an engineer. Knight attended school locally, and later claimed to have developed her "thirst of information and reading" from her mother. Her father died when Knight was young, and the family moved to Tucker Street, Castlebar.

Knight took up employment as a national school teacher to help support her brother and mother. She was a teacher in Ireland for 14 years, teaching in a private school in Castlebar for six years, spending four years as a governess, and another four years at Gainstown national school, near Mullingar. She was trained at the Dublin Training Establishment, receiving her teacher's classification certificate in 1860. She also studied music and drawing, playing both the harmonium and piano. She studied music under John William Glover. Knight's brother, Arthur was also a musician and composer who taught music privately in Castlebar. He composed an air for Knight's poem A Christmas carol. During the period that Knight wrote for the Nation, she interacted with Mary Eva Kelly, who was known as "Eva of the Nation". from Ballintogher, County Meath aboard the ship, and they married in 1869 at Rockhampton, Queensland. He died in 1872. Some accounts state she had an adopted daughter.