Died 1942 | ||
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Books Global Warming, Managing Information Services | ||
Neil McBride (Irish: Niall Mac Gioll Bhridé; 1861-1942) was a poet, author, and songwriter from Feymore, Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, who also gained notoriety for protesting a fine he received for having his name written in Irish on his business cart.
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Farmer and poet
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 'Blta Fraoic' ('Heather Blossoms'). Neil's poems and songs became well known throughout Ireland. Some titles include: "The Hills of Donegal", "Noreen Bawn" (1910), "The Castle of Doe", "Marble Hill" and "Mó Chró Beag ag Bun Cnoc a Tigh" ("My Little House at the Bottom of the Big Hill")
Historic encounter with the law
On the evening of March 11, 1905, on his way home from the Dunfanaghy Fair, Neil was stopped by a 'bobby', who fined him one shilling for having 'illegible' (Irish) writing on the signage of his donkey cart. All business carts were required to display its owner's name (in English); Neil's defiantly read, "Niall Mac Gioll Bhridé". He 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.
Patrick Pearse and appeal
The Conradh na Gaeilge ("Gaelic League") learned of Neil's story and made efforts to help him. One of it 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. Pearse wrote about the court's decision in his June 27, 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, Pearse urges the people of Ireland to promote the Irish Language as a form of Irish nationalism.