James Fenton (5 June 1931 – 3 February 2021)
was a linguist and poet who wrote in
Ulster Scots.
Biography
He grew up in
Drumdarragh and in
Ballinaloob,
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. His home language of childhood was Ulster Scots. Educated at
Stranmillis College in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, and later
Queen's University, he became a teacher at schools in Belfast.
His poetry in Ulster Scots, at times lively, contented, wistful, was written in contemporary Ulster Scots, and particularly the dialect of Ballinaloob ("Belnaloob" in his poem ''Thonner an Thon'').
Books
James Fenton's record and study of Scots and Scots words used in Ulster, ''The Hamely Tongue'' has been published by the Ullans Press. A collection of his own poetry has been published by the Ullans Press too; ''Thonner an Thon''.
[''Thonner an Thon'', The Ullans Press ]
James Fenton lived in
Glengormley
Glengormley () is the name of a townland (of 215 acres) and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated in the ...
,
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement in North Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of severa ...
.
Death
Fenton died on 3 February 2021, aged 89.
References
External links
The Ulster-Scots Language SocietyThe Hamely Tongue - Ulster-Scots AcademyThe Ulster-Scots Agency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton, James
1931 births
2021 deaths
Male poets from Northern Ireland
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
Male writers from Northern Ireland
Alumni of Stranmillis University College
Schoolteachers from Northern Ireland
Ulster Scots-language poets