William topaz mcgonagall biography for kids
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William McGonagall – The Bard of Dundee
Each January, scotsmen and women across the world join tillsammans in order to celebrate the life and works of the greatest of all Scottish poets, Rabbie Burns. And during such gatherings, the words of the great man are read out aloud for all to appreciate, whilst little mention is made about William Topaz McGonagall – the bard of Dundee.
William Topaz McGonagall was born in Edinburgh to poor Irish parents, in March 1825. One of a family of five children, his father worked as a handloom weaver. The family moved to Dundee when William was still a boy.
William eventually moved into the family trade, and married Jean King in 1846. It was about this time that he also began to take part in amateur theatre productions, acting in Shakespearean plays. It was perhaps the influence of the Great Bard himself that captured William’s imagination and sparked his love of poetry.
One of William’s earliest works was dedicated to the new railway bridge that
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William McGonagall
Scottish-Irish poet (1825–1902) regarded as comically inept
For the American captain, see William McGonagle.
William McGonagall | |
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| Born | March 1825[1] Either Ireland or Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 29 September 1902(1902-09-29) (aged 77) Greyfriars Parish, Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Weaver, actor, poet |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Spouse | Jean King |
| Children | 7 |
William McGonagall (March 1825[2] – 29 September 1902) was a Scottish poet and public performer. He gained notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers' opinions of his work.
He wrote about 200 poems, including "The Tay Bridge Disaster" and "The Famous Tay Whale", which are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature. Groups throughout Scotland engaged him to man recitations from his work, and contemporary descriptions of these performances indicate that many listeners were appreci
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William Topaz McGonagall
Welcome, sweet Christmas, blest be the morn
That Christ our Saviour was born!
Earth's Redeemer, to save us from all danger,
And, as the Holy Record tells, born in a manger.
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A pathetic tale of the sea I will unfold,
Enough to make one's blood run cold;
Concerning four fishermen cast adrift in a dory.
As I've been told I'll relate the story.
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Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
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Immortal! William Shakespeare, there's none can you excel,
You have drawn out your characters remarkably well,
Which is delightful for to see enacted upon the stage
For instance, the love-sick Romeo, or Othello, in a rage;
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'Twas at the Seige of Matagarda, during the Peninsular War,
That a Mrs Reston for courage outshone any man there by far;
She was the wife of a Scottish soldier in Matagarda Port,
And to attend to her husband she there