ArticleslgStudy

science

Neil McBride (poet)

Neil McBride (poet) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Neil McBride (poet) rather than just read about it. In short: Neil McBride (Irish: Niall Mac Giolla Bhrighde; 1861–1942) was a farmer, poet, author, and songwriter from Feymore, Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, who further gained notoriety for protesting a fine he received for having his name written in Irish on his business cart. Farmer and poet Neil McBride spent his entire life in the small village of Feymore, Creeslough, He lived on Crockatee (Cruckathee), a foothill of Mucki…

Neil McBride (poet) — main illustration
Neil McBride (poet) — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Neil McBride (poet) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Neil McBride (poet) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Neil McBride (poet) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Neil McBride (Irish: Niall Mac Giolla Bhrighde; 1861–1942) was a farmer, poet, author, and songwriter from Feymore, Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, who further gained notoriety for protesting a fine he received for having his name written in Irish on his business cart.

Farmer and poet Neil McBride spent his entire life in the small village of Feymore, Creeslough, He lived on Crockatee (Cruckathee), a foothill of Muckish Mountain and earned his living as a cottier (farmer) and a poet. Neil published a book of poems in 1905 called Blaṫa Fraoiċ ('Heather Blossoms'). McBride's poems and songs became well known throughout Ireland. Some titles include: "The Hills of Donegal", "Noreen Bawn" (1910), "The Castle of Doe", "Marble Hill" and "Mo Chró Beag ag Bun Chnoc a' Tighe" ("My wee shack below Crockatee")

Historic encounter with the law McBride was a farmer by trade and all business carts were required to display its owner's name in English. On the evening of 11 March 1905, returning home from the Dunfanaghy Fair, in a nearby town, McBride was stopped and questioned by an English 'bobby' who fined him one shilling for having 'illegible' (Irish) writing on his donkey cart. The sign defiantly read, "N. MAC GIOLLA ḂRIĠDE FIOḊ-MÓR" in Irish. It was made by McBride's friend and fellow poet, Andrew Mac Intyre. McBride refused to pay the fine and defended himself at the Dunfanaghy Petty Session. He lost, and was penalized an additional shilling after still refusing to pay. The Conradh na Gaeilge ("Gaelic League") learned of McBride's story and made efforts to help him. One of its members, attorney Patrick Pearse, seeing the opportunity to champion Irish independence, agreed to defend McBride, pro bono. McBride's appeal was brought before the Court of King's Bench in Dublin. It was Pearse's first and only court appearance as a barrister. The case was lost, but it inspired Pearse in his endeavors as a political activist and spawned a national campaign to change British government policies towards the Irish language. Pearse wrote about the court's decision in his 27 June 1905 column in the Gaelic League newspaper, An Claidheamh Soluis: "...it was in effect decided that Irish is a foreign language on the same level with Yiddish." Continuing in the article, he urges the people of Ireland to promote the Irish Language as a form of Irish nationalism.

Legacy

Literature Creeslough historian and author, Seamus Harkin featured McBride's poetry and songs in his 1996 book, ‘Poets and People of Doe’ McBride published a collection of his songs and poems in 1905 in a book called 'Blaṫa Fraoiċ’ (‘Heather Blossoms’) Songs in Irish and English by Niall Mac Giolla Bhrighde. In 2011, Seamus Harkin updated and reissued 'Blaṫa Fraoiċ’ , adding two extra songs, which McBride had composed after the original book was published. At the book's unveiling Seamus stated, "My reason for printing this book is to let people, especially the young, know the great wealth of talent we had in the parish.” Liam Ó Connacháin wrote a biography about Neil in 1939 titled, "Dírbheathaisnéis Néill Mhic Ghiolla Bhrighde". It was reprinted in 1974.

Music, Radio, Television A radio broadcast about Neil's life and works aired on Radio Éireann in 1936. A folk song, inspired by Neil's cart story, called "An Trucailín Donn" ("The Little Brown Cart"), was collected by Mícheál Ó hEidhin in the 1975 Irish language songbook "Cas Amhrán", and was released on 29 September 2012 by the band, Réalta on the album "Open the Door for Three". In January, 2016, "An Trucailín Donn", a documentary about McBride and his cart, aired on the Irish Gaelic language television channel TG4.

Memorials The name plate from McBride's cart is on permanent display at the Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny. A plaque honoring McBride was placed at the entrance to Doe (Chapel) Cemetery, and dedicated by Liam Connachain at its unveiling on 3 October 1982. On 18 April 2016, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Pearse Doherty at Dunfanaghy Market Square in memory of the infamous court case, involving Patrick Pearse.

References

External links Book: 'Blaṫa Fraoiċ’ (‘Heather Blossoms’) Songs in Irish and English by Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde Audio: "Smaoitiú ar an am a bhí" song written by Neil McBride, performed by Seán Ó Conaglaigh Video: "An Trucailín Donn" documentary trailer Video: "An Trucailín Donn" song inspired by Neil McBride's cart story, performed by Réalta Video: "Noreen Bawn" song written by Neil McBride, performed by Bridie Gallagher Video: "Nuala na gCuacha Buidhe" song written by Neil McBride Video: "Mo Chró Beag ag Bun Chnoc a' Tighe" song written by Neil McBride, performed by Suzanne McDevitt at the Regional Cultural Center in Letterkenny on 4 April 2016

Illustrations

Neil McBride (poet): Neil McBride (Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde) at his home in 1900.
Neil McBride (Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde) at his home in 1900.
Neil McBride (poet): Engraved granite plaque located at Dunfanaghy Market Square in tribute to Neil McBride and Patrick Pearse, written in both Irish and English. (Photo by Pearse Doherty)
Engraved granite plaque located at Dunfanaghy Market Square in tribute to Neil McBride and Patrick Pearse, written in both Irish and English. (Photo by Pearse Doherty)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neil McBride (poet)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neil McBride (poet) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Neil McBride (poet) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Neil McBride (poet) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Neil McBride (poet)

In research
Neil McBride (poet) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Neil McBride (poet) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Neil McBride (poet) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1861 births, 1942 deaths, 20th-century Irish writers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Neil McBride (poet) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Neil McBride (poet)” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Neil McBride (poet) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Neil McBride (poet) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Neil McBride (poet) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neil McBride (poet) in simple terms?

Neil McBride (Irish: Niall Mac Giolla Bhrighde; 1861–1942) was a farmer, poet, author, and songwriter from Feymore, Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, who further gained notoriety for protesting a fine he received for having his name written in Irish on his business cart. Farmer and poet Neil McBride sp…

Why does Neil McBride (poet) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Neil McBride (poet)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Neil McBride (poet).

Tags

  • 1861 births
  • 1942 deaths
  • 20th-century Irish writers
  • Irish language activists
  • Irish poets
  • Linguistic controversies
  • People from Creeslough
  • Writers from County Donegal

Keep exploring