Mícheál or Micheál Mac Suibhne () was an

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

from the

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

and an important figure to

Modern literature in Irish Although Irish has been used as a literary language for more than 1,500 years (see Irish literature), and modern literature in Irish dates – as in most European languages – to the 16th century, modern Irish literature owes much of its popul ...

Life

Mac Suibhne was born near the ruined

Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

of Cong, then part of

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, but now in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

. The names of his parents are not recorded, but his ancestors are said to have migrated from

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

as refugees from the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...

. He spent most of his life in

and is said to have been a heavy drinker. Micheál Mac Suibhne and his brother Toirdhealbhach are said to have moved to the parish of Ballinakill, between

Letterfrack Letterfrack or Letterfrac () is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is south-east of Renvyle peninsula and north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and li ...

and

Clifden Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...

, where the poet was employed as a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

by an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

landlord named Steward. He is most associated, however, with the town of

Cleggan Cleggan () is a fishing village in County Galway, Ireland. The village lies northwest of Clifden and is situated at the head of Cleggan Bay. A focal point of the village is the pier, built by Alexander Nimmo in 1822 and extended in 1908. Fer ...

. All of his poems and sean-nós songs were composed in

Connacht Irish Connacht Irish () is the dialect of the Irish language spoken in the province of Connacht. Gaeltacht regions in Connacht are found in Counties Mayo (notably Tourmakeady, Achill Island and Erris) and Galway (notably in parts of Connemara a ...

, which was his native tongue. It is not known whether Mac Suibhne ever married, but he is believed to have died at Fahy, near

, around the year 1820. His burial place, however, remains unknown.

Legacy

In 1846,

James Hardiman James Hardiman (February 1782 – 13 November 1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway and an important historian. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1 ...

wrote of him: "In this district ( Doon,

Omey Island Omey Island () is a tidal island situated near Claddaghduff on the western edge of Connemara in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. From the mainland the island is almost hidden. It is possible to drive or walk across a large sandy str ...

) there lately lived a neglected poetical

genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

, whose name was Michael Mac Sweeney, who, though held in high repute by his countrymen, was suffered to die in poverty; but this, it is said, often occurs in half-civilized communities, where pride and ignorance are generally prevalent. By the English-speaking portion of the people, Mac Sweeney was the 'Bard of the West.' He composed, in his native language, several poems and songs of considerable merit; which have become such favourites, that there are few who cannot repeat some of them from memory. Many of these have been collected by the Editor; and if space shall permit, one or more of the most popular will be inserted in the Additional Notes, as a specimen of modern Irish versification, and of those compositions which afford so much social pleasure to the good people of Iar-Connacht."

Collectors

In the Additional Notes to ''Iar or West Connacht'' (1846),''West or Iar-Connacht'', p. 112-113, pp. 283–293,

Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh Roderick O'Flaherty (; 1629–1718 or 1716) was an Irish historian. Biography He was born in County Galway and inherited Moycullen Castle and estate. O'Flaherty was the last ''de jure'' Tigerna, Lord of Iar Connacht, and the last recognised C ...

1684; ed.

, 1846. Hardiman included the full version of '' Abhrán an Phúca'', the '' Banais Pheigi Ní Eaghra'' ("The Connemara Wedding"), and '' Eóghain Cóir'' by Mac Suibhne. Following the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

, Professor Tomas Ó Maille collected, edited, and published all of Micheál Mac Suibhne's poems in 1934.

Relatives

The Bard's brother, Toirealfhach, also composed poetry in Irish, but none of his compositions survive. Toirealfhach had a son, Johnnie Terry Mac Suibhne, who resided at Newtown,

. Johnnie's son, Séamus Mac Suibhne, wrote songs in English, including ''The Bogs of Léana Mór''.

References

Bibliography

*''County Mayo in Gaelic Folksong'', Brian O'Rourke, pp. 173–74, in ''Mayo:Aspects of its Heritage'', edited by Bernard O'Hara, 1982. * ''Mícheál Mac Suibhne, agus Filidh an tSéibhe'', by Tomas Ó Maille, Dublin, Foils. an Rialtais, 1934 * ''Galway Authors'', Helen Maher, 1976

External links

Dictionary of Irish Biography: Micheál Mac Suibhne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Suibhne, Micheal 1760s births 1820 deaths 18th-century Irish-language poets 19th-century Irish-language poets Writers from County Mayo Writers from County Galway Year of birth uncertain