John O'Neill (8 January 1777 – 1854) was an Irish writer, poet and playwright. He was born into a poor family in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. At the age of nine he was apprenticed to a relative, who was a shoe-maker. In 1798 he was living in Carrick-on-Suir, where he married. He wrote a number of popular songs around this time, the best-known being a satire, "The Clothier's Looking-Glass". He next went to London, where he formed a large circle of acquaintances, among them

George Cruikshank George Cruikshank (27 September 1792 – 1 February 1878) was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached ...

, who illustrated some of his poems ("The Drunkard", 1840, "The Blessings of Temperance", 1851, "The Triumph of Temperance", 1852). He wrote ''Alva, a drama'', in 1821 and he enjoyed some popularity as a temperance poet. His business ventures were not successful and he had a large family to support. At the end of his life, he was also working as a shoe-maker in Drury Lane. His last book, "Legends of Carrick" (edited by Mrs. S. C. Hall), was published in 1854. He died in 1854.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, John 1777 births 1854 deaths Irish poets Writers from County Waterford Irish dramatists and playwrights Irish male poets Irish male dramatists and playwrights