John McDonald (19 September 1846 – 1932) was an Irish cultural nationalist poet during the nineteenth century Irish Literary Revival. Known for frequent contributions to weekly and periodical Irish publications, he published a book of poetry in 1886.

Biography

Born in the parish of Cloone in county Leitrim, John was the son of a small farmer and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. He completed his education in local schools before pursuing a teaching career. From 1881, he lived in New York for a few years. McDonald married his wife Mary , and they raised eight children, named Michael, Patrick, Mary, John, Anne, Charles, and two unknown. The family lived at Cloonboniagh South

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

near Dromod in county Leitrim, John running a farm whilst holding down a job as schoolteacher in

county Longford County Longford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the Local government in the Republic ...

. He died October 1932, and many of his children emigrated to America.

Poetry

An Irish cultural nationalist, McDonald contributed verse to periodicals such as "", "", "", "", and to local newspapers in

county Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

and

. While living in America for a time, he published poetry in the "". McDonald's sole book, a collection of poetry titled "", was published in 1886. He wrote most of his poetry in his spare time, mainly at night or Sunday evenings, explaining his motivation thus- * "". One copy of the book is kept at Keenans Hotel -Tarmonbarry in

county Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

, and another copy is kept in the archives of the

National Library of Ireland The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ) is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is "To collect, preserve, promote and make accessible the ...

in Dublin. Reprints of his poems appeared in the Leitrim Observer newspaper during the 1960s. All his poems usually appeared with the signature "".

Land League

McDonald was an Irish nationalist, supporting the

Irish National Land League The Irish National Land League ( Irish: ''Conradh na Talún''), also known as the Land League, was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which organised tenant farmers in their resistance to exactions of landowners. Its prima ...

movement. Writing to

John Devoy John Devoy (, ; 3 September 1842 – 29 September 1928) was an Irish republican Rebellion, rebel and journalist who owned and edited ''The Gaelic American'', a New York weekly newspaper, from 1903 to 1928. Devoy dedicated over 60 year ...

in 1881, John Sexton enthused "".

List of works

* '' Irish National Poems'', Dublin, Sealy, Bryers & Walker, 1886. Bound with green cloth, title and author appear in gilt on upper cover and a gilt harp and bunch of shamrock in centre, gilt title on spine.

Biography

Poetry

Land League

List of works

References and notes

Citations

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Further reading