John Keegan (1809 or 1816–1849)
notes that 1816 is a more accurate estimate of his birth year than the older estimate of 1809 was an Irish ballad-writer.
Life
He was born in a small farmhouse on the banks of the Nore, Queen's County, and was educated by wandering hedge-schoolmasters. When very young he began to write verses, but lived a peasant's life. He suffered much in the Great Famine during 1845–6, and died in poor circumstances in 1849.
Works
Many of Keegan's ballads appeared in '' Dolman's Magazine''; some are contained in Edward Hayes's ''Ballads of Ireland'', and in the compilation ''The Harp of Erin''. At the time of his death Keegan was preparing a collected edition of his poems, which never, however, appeared.Abbeyleix
Abbeyleix (; ) is a town in County Laois, Ireland, located around south of the county town of Portlaoise.
Abbeyleix was formerly located on the N8, the main road from Dublin to Cork. At one point, up to 15,000 vehicles passed along the town' ...
, a small town in rural County Laois. It tells of a destitute traveller who came into the area; he gained his name the Red Badger (Bocough Ruadh), from a large red woollen nightcap which he wore day and night.
References
External links
John Keegan, Writer, Poet and Story Teller. 1816-1849
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keegan, John
19th-century births
1849 deaths
Irish poets
19th-century poets