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Irish poet, author, and songwriter (1861–1942) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil McBride (Irish: Niall Mac Giolla Bhrighde; 1861–1942) was a farmer, poet, author, and songwriter from Feymore, Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, who further gained notoriety for protesting a fine he received for having his name written in Irish on his business cart.[1]
Neil McBride spent his entire life in the small village of Feymore, Creeslough, He lived on Crockatee (Cruckathee), a foothill of Muckish Mountain and earned his living as a cottier (farmer) and a poet. Neil published a book of poems in 1905 called Blaṫa Fraoiċ ('Heather Blossoms').[2] McBride's poems and songs became well known throughout Ireland. Some titles include: "The Hills of Donegal",[3] "Noreen Bawn" (1910),[4] "The Castle of Doe",[5] "Marble Hill" and "Mo Chró Beag ag Bun Chnoc a' Tighe" ("My wee shack below Crockatee") [6]
McBride was a farmer by trade and all business carts were required to display its owner's name in English. On the evening of 11 March 1905, returning home from the Dunfanaghy Fair, in a nearby town, McBride was stopped and questioned by an English 'bobby' who fined him one shilling for having 'illegible' (Irish) writing on his donkey cart. The sign defiantly read, "N. MAC GIOLLA ḂRIĠDE FIOḊ-MÓR" in Irish. It was made by McBride's friend and fellow poet, Andrew Mac Intyre.[7] McBride refused to pay the fine and defended himself at the Dunfanaghy Petty Session. He lost, and was penalized an additional shilling after still refusing to pay.[8][9]
The Conradh na Gaeilge ("Gaelic League") learned of McBride's story and made efforts to help him. One of its members, attorney Patrick Pearse, seeing the opportunity to champion Irish independence, agreed to defend McBride, pro bono. McBride's appeal was brought before the Court of King's Bench in Dublin. It was Pearse's first and only court appearance as a barrister. The case was lost, but it inspired Pearse in his endeavors as a political activist and spawned a national campaign to change British government policies towards the Irish language.[10] Pearse wrote about the court's decision in his 27 June 1905 column in the Gaelic League newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis: "...it was in effect decided that Irish is a foreign language on the same level with Yiddish." Continuing in the article, he urges the people of Ireland to promote the Irish Language as a form of Irish nationalism.[11][12]
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