Seán Mac Aoidh (a.k.a. Sean McHugh), Irish poet, fl. 1820s.
Mac Aoidh was a native of Islandeady, near Castlebar, County Mayo, who was married to Sail Og Rua Ni Mhaille (Sally O'Malley), who died early in their marriage. His in-laws suspected him of killing Sail Og, and approached his house one night intending to kill him. However, upon hearing his lament for his wife, Sail Og Rua, they concluded he was innocent, and let him be. Another account has him composing it in Castlebar or Dolliwista jail as proof of his innocence.
O'Rourke states "All one can say is that if, in addition to being a murderer, Mac Aoidh was a cynical hypocrite, then he was a brilliant one, for 'Sail Og Rua' has all the accents of genuine grief."
A translated extract from the lament is as follows:
Two subsequent verses are thus:
The surname McHugh is still found in the parishes of Islandeady and Castlebar.