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 Patrick McGill |
Patrick McGill was born near Glenties and educated locally. At the age of twelve he was sent to the Hiring Fair in Strabane, County Tyrone where he was hired to a wealthy farmer. After two years McGill went to work as a labourer on the Glasgow to Greenock line of the Caledonian Railway in Scotland and, at the age of twenty-one, he self-published a volume of poetry entitled *Gleanings from a Navvy's Scrapebook* which he sold door to door, apparently selling over seven thousand copies. McGill published two more poetry volumes to mixed critical acclaim before moving to London where he began writing novels. In 1914 McGill published an fictional account of the harsh life endured by Irish emigrant workers in Scotland entitled *Children of the Dead End* which was followed by its companion novel *The Rat Pit*. Both novels were best sellers. During World War I McGill fought with the London Irish Rifles and his war memories are vividly recorded in *The Great Push* (1916) and *The Red Horizon*(1916) and in a volume of poetry, *Soldier Songs from the Great Push*. McGill continued to write poetry, fiction and drama into the 1930's but his first literary endeavours remained his best. In later life McGill went into obscurity but his literary reputation as a champion of the poor Donegal emigrants at the turn of the 20th Century endures and is remembered each August at a Summer School in Glenties.© Donegal on the Net recommends The Navvy Poet: The Collected Works of Patrick McGill. |
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Rugadh Pádraig Mac a'Ghoill ar an ghleann i gceantar na Gleanntaí agus is anseo a fuair sé a chuid oideachais comh maith. Nuair a bhí Pádraig dhá bhliain déag d'aois cuireadh é chuig an Mhargadh Meallaithe ar an tSráth Bán i gCondae Thír Eoghain, áit a raibh sé fostaithe ag feirmeoir saibhir. I ndiaidh dhá bhliain a chaitheamh ansin, chuaigh Pádraig go hAlbain. D'obair sé le Iarnród Caledonia ar an líne ó Ghlaschú go Greenock. Nuair a bhí Pádraig bliain is fiche d'aois d'fhoilsigh sé fhéin imleabhar filíochta *Gleanings from a Navvys Scrapbook*. Chuaigh sé ó dhoras go doras ag díol cóipeanna. Deirtear gur dhíol Pádraig seacht míle cóip nó níos mó.! D'fhoilsigh Mac a'Ghoill dhá leabhar eile filíochta sular imigh sé go Londain le úrscéalta a scríobh. I 1914 d'fhoilsigh sé cuntas finscéalaíochta ar an saol cruaidh a bhí ag eisimircigh Éireannacha, *Children of the Dead End* agus i ndiaidh sin, *The Rat Pit*. Bhí ráchairt an-mhór ar na leabhraí seo. I rith an Céad Chogadh Domhanda throid Mac a'Ghoill leis an London Irish Rifles. Chuir sé síos ar a chuid cuimhní ar an chogadh seo sa dá úrscéal *The Great Push* (1916) agus *The Red Horizon* (1916) agus fosta i leabhar filíochta *Soldiers Songs from the Great Push*. Lean Mac a'Ghoill air ag scríobh filíochta agus drámaí i ndiaidh an chogaidh go dtí na 1930oidí, ach ar ndóigh ba bhfearr i bhfad an scríobhnoireacht a rinne sé ag tús a shaoil. Ní raibh morán iomraí ar Mhac a'Ghoill í ndeireadh a shaoil ach muna raibh fhéin, ní dheanfaidh muintir Dhún na nGall dearmad ar a chuid scríobhnoireachta agus an dóigh a sheasaigh sé an fód do na h-imircí bochta as Dún na nGall ag tús na 20ú Aoise. Cuimhníonn daoine ar Phádraig go speisialta gach Lúnasa ag Scoil Shamhraidh Phádraig Mhic a'Ghoill ar na Gleanntaí. I gcomhluadar le Amazon.com molann Dún na nGall.Com The Navvy Poet: The Collected Works of Patrick McGill. |
 Patrick McGill in his London Irish Rifles uniform |