Name Cathal Mac | Role Poet | |
Died 1756, County Clare, Republic of Ireland | ||
Cathal Bui Mac Giolla Ghunna, Irish poet, c. 1680 – 1756.
Biography
Cathal Bui Mac Giolla Ghunna (?1680-1756) 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.' He was one of a school of ballad poetry that included Along with Peadar O Doirnin, Art Mac Cumhaigh and Seamas 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. 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 Bonnan Bui (The Yellow Bittern) with its finely-judged blend of pathos and humour'. Although "Cathal Bui", as he is still affectionately termed in the folklore of Breifne, is now little known in Ireland, his masterpiece An Bonnan Bui is one of the best known songs in Irish.
A study of the Breifne school of poetry is forthcoming from Padraigin Ni Uallachain. His memory is celebrated annually in his home country – Blacklion(Cavan) and Belcoo(Fermanagh) with a festival named in his honour, Feile Chathal Bui.