Seamus Mac Cruitin
Encyclopedia
Biography
Mac Cruitín was a native of County ClareCounty Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, apparently the area of Ennistymon. He was a member of the same family as Aindrias Mac Cruitín
Aindrias Mac Cruitín
-Biography:A member of the Mac Cruitín bardic family, Aindrias was born at Moyglass, Milltown Malbay, County Clare, where he was educated and spent much of his life. He worked as a teacher and scribe, some dozen manuscripts in his hand surviving. He worked for a Dr...
and Aodh Buí Mac Cruitín
Aodh Buí Mac Cruitín
Aodh Buí Mac Cruitín, Irish poet, tutor, and soldier, 1680-1775.-Biography:Mac Cruitín was a descendant of a bardic family of Thomond. Other members of his family included the musician, Gilla Duibin Mac Cruitín , and the poets Aindrias Mac Cruitín and Seamus Mac Cruitín .-See also:* Piaras...
. Seamus claimed he was sixth in line of descent from Sean, a brother of Aindrias. He is thought to have been the product of an irregular union between a Tadhg Mac Mac Cruitín and an unknown woman. The names of his siblings, if he had any, are unknown.
Associates included the scribe
Scribe
A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing...
Michael O Raghallaigh; Brian O Luanaigh (1828-1901), later Professor of Irish at the Catholic University of Irish; John McHale
John McHale
John Joseph McHale was an American first baseman and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of three teams: the Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, and Montreal Expos...
, Archbishop of Tuam
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...
; Eugene O'Curry
Eugene O'Curry
-Life:He was born at Doonaha, near Carrigaholt, County Clare, the son of Eoghan Ó Comhraí, a farmer, and his wife Cáit. Eoghan had spent some time as a travelling pedlar and had developed an interest in Irish folklore and music. Unusually for someone of his background, he appears to have been...
; William Smith O'Brien
William Smith O'Brien
William Smith O'Brien was an Irish Nationalist and Member of Parliament and leader of the Young Ireland movement. He was convicted of sedition for his part in the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848, but his sentence of death was commuted to deportation to Van Diemen's Land. In 1854, he was...
.
Mac Cruitín had spent some time in County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, and by his early twenties was working as a schoolmaster. His works included translations of Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman
Brian Merriman or in Irish Brian Mac Giolla Meidhre was an Irish language poet and teacher. His single surviving work of substance, the 1000-line long Cúirt An Mheán Oíche is widely regarded as the greatest comic poem in the history of Irish literature.-Merriman's life:Merriman appears to have...
's The Midnight Court, collected songs and poems for Eugene O'Curry
Eugene O'Curry
-Life:He was born at Doonaha, near Carrigaholt, County Clare, the son of Eoghan Ó Comhraí, a farmer, and his wife Cáit. Eoghan had spent some time as a travelling pedlar and had developed an interest in Irish folklore and music. Unusually for someone of his background, he appears to have been...
, translations and versions for O'Brien, in addition to composing original material.
After years of heavy drinking and bad health, Mac Cruitín's health broke down. He developed a severe illness which developed into rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
. He was brought to Ennistymon Workhouse, where he died on 1 September, 1870. Mac Cruitín was buried in an unmarked grave in the paupers' plot of Ennistymon Workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
. His death was not reported in the local papers. The official cause of death was cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
of the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
.
Notable works
- Is baoth an turas, written 12 May 1836, his earliest dated poem
- All hail young gentry, written for the O'Briens of Elmvale, CorofinCorofinCorofin is a village on the River Fergus in northern County Clare in Ireland, situated north from the county town of Ennis at the crossroads of the R470 and R476 regional roads...
, c. 1840 - Come over fair Monarch, published in the Limerick Reporter, March 1842, one of some thirty of his poems published in that newspaper between January 1841 and March 1847, at first signed "A Six Months Tutor", last as "McCurtin".
- A Chlanna Gael, elegyElegyIn literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The Greek term elegeia originally referred to any verse written in elegiac couplets and covering a wide range of subject matter, including epitaphs for tombs...
on Sir Michael O'Loughlen, Master of the RollsMaster of the RollsThe Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
, died November 1842 - Lines suggested on entering the R.C. cathedral of TuamTuamTuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
- Ag cur slan le Gaeilge (Farewell to Irish)
- Air Uilliam Mhic an Ghabhan Ui Bhrian (On William Smith O'Brian, Esq., M.P.)
- Slan le Cluain an Atha (Farewell to Cloonanaha)
- Uadhacht Sheamuis Mhic Chruitin (the last will and testament of James McCurtin, apparently composed during his final illness