Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna

Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna (c. 1680 – 1756) was an Irish poet.

Biography

Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna (?1680-1756)[1] is one of the four most prominent of the south Ulster and north Leinster poets in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He has been described as 'an Irish-speaking Christy Moore, an incisive ballad singing entertainer for a totally Irish-speaking community of poor people living at or below subsistence in the early 18th century.'[2] He was one of a school of ballad poetry that included Peadar Ó Doirnín, Art Mac Cumhaigh, and Séamas Dall Mac Cuarta.

Mac Giolla Ghunna was probably born in Fermanagh and, having initially studied to be a priest, settled for a career as a rake-poet.[3] It has been remarked about his poetry that 'of the handful of poems attributed to him, most are marked by a rare humanity, but none can match An Bonnán Buí (The Yellow Bittern) with its finely-judged blend of pathos and humour'.[4] Although "Cathal Buí", as he is still affectionately termed in the folklore of Bréifne, is now little known in Ireland, his masterpiece An Bonnán Buí is one of the best known songs in Irish.[5] "An Bonnán Buí" was based in Loch McNean, which is situated between Fermanagh and Cavan. A monument in his honour lies near there, which was unveiled by Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh.

A study of the Bréifne school of poetry is forthcoming from Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin.[6] His memory is celebrated annually in his home country – Blacklion (Cavan) and Belcoo (Fermanagh), with a festival for young poets named in his honour, Féile Chathal Buí.[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ http://ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/Mac/M-Giolla-G_C/life.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.eofeasa.ie/cathalbui/public_html/danta_CB/who_was_CB.html| Féile Chathal Buí 2006
  3. ↑ An Duanaire 1600–1900: Poems of the Dispossessed, p. 133
  4. ↑ Seán Ó Tuama and Thomas Kinsella, An Duanaire 1600–1900: Poems of the Dispossessed, p. 133
  5. ↑ An Bonnán Buí, with a translation by Seamus Heaney.
  6. ↑ Gaelic Song Tradition of Bréifne project
  7. ↑ Féile Chathal Buí

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.