Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 35.djvu/28

 MacDonnell and his wife Isabel. It has interludes of recitation in prose, and tells how the bard had left their hospitable house in dudgeon, how ill he fared, and how he longed to return, how ragged was his coat and meagre his fare, and nevertheless how he hated mere wealth, loathed the English language, and despised those who thought it fashionable to speak 'the Saxon jargon.' The other is on address to a fairy chief, Donn na Daibhche, whose service the poet wishes to enter (Egerton MMS. 150, 209). His minor poems are 'Elegy on the Death of Sir Donogh Mac Conor O'Brien,' written in 1717 (ib. 209); another elegy (ib. 160); 'Is truagh ho'm do bhas a bhoill' ('Alas, my limb, that thou perishest thus away') (ib. 161); a Jacobite song (ib. 160); on the Irish language, 'Is milis an teangra an ghaoidbilge' (ib. 158). An elegy on William Bingham is erroneously attributed to him (ib. 110). He also, like most of the Irish poets of his day, acted as scribe, and in 1703 wrote a complete copy of 's [q. v.] 'Tri baorgaoitbe an bhais' (, Poets of Munster, p. 36, and, Cat. of Irish MSS. in Brit. Mus.); in 1716 for Tadg, chief of the MacNamaras, a copy of the 'Cathreim Thoirdhealbhaigh of Seaghan Mac Ruadri MacCraith' (H.1.18, in the library of Trinity College, Dublin), and in 1720 of the 'Life of St. Senan of Inniscatheigh' (, p. 339). He wrote an excellent Irish hand, and was an accomplished Gaelic scholar. He died in 1749, and was buried in his family burying-place in the churchyard of Kilfarboy, near Milltown Malbay in Clare.

 MACCURTIN, HUGH (1680?–1756), Irish antiquary, was born in the parish of Kilmacreehy, in the barony of Corcomroe, co. Clare, about 1680, and received general education, as well as special instruction in Irish literature and history, from his cousin, [q. v.], whom he succeeded titular ollav or ollamh [i.e. chronicler] of the O'Briens of Thomond. He continued his education in France, where he was patronised by Lord Clare and by the dauphin, in whose household he acted as a tutor for seven years, and returned to Ireland about 1714. In that year he wrote a lament of seventy-two verses for the death of Donagh O'Loghlen of Burren, co. Clare, and in 1715 a poem beginning 'Iomdha easbadh air Eirinn,' on the death of Lewis O'Brien in France. In 1717 he published 'A brief Discourse in Vindication of the Antiquity of Ireland.' This was printed for the author at the sign of the Printing Press in Copper Alley, Dublin, and is dedicated to William O'Brien, earl of Inchiquin. There were 238 subscribers, and the native interest in the work is shown by the fact that of their names sixty have the prefix O', and thirty-four the prefix Mac, while many of the other names would be more correctly written in the same way. Two parts only appeared, a third was promised, 'with all sincerity and expedition,' but was never printed. Part i. contains the adventures of the Gadelians from Fenius Fearsa to the coming of the Milesians into Ireland, and to 431, while Part ii. contains relationa of memorable actions up to 1171. 'Leabbar na Gceart,' 'Leabhar Gabhala,' the 'Book of Leinster,' or transcripts of sections contained in them, and probably Keating's 'History,' as the foundations of the book, which contain as might be expected from its locality and dedications, full accounts of the deeds of Brian Boroimhe. In 1718 MacCurtin wrote a poem on the marriage of Isabel, daughter of Christopher O'Brien, with Sorley MacDonnell, which was privately printed with other items in honour of the Macdonnells of Kilkee and Killone by Brian O'Looney in 1863. MacCurtin led the wandering life of an Irish poet of the time, entertained at one castle, repulsed at the next, and produced panegyric or lampoon according to the character of his reception. Many of his poems are still extant in manuscript in those collections which were to be found in many Irish farmhouses till the decay of the language. After his cousin Andrew, his chief literary friend was the learned schoolmaster, Tadhg O'Neachtain, and he wrote to him an epistle in verse on the death of Edmond O'Byrne, a priest. He also wrote a poem on a ship belonging to O'Loghlen of Burren, beginning 'Beannaigh an bharc blathanuite bealchumtha' ('Bless the well-knit, fair-shaped vessel'). In 1728 he published, by the aid of Father Morphy of the Franciscans, in Lourain, 'The Elements of the Irish Language,' dedicated by Major-general Devenish, governor of Courtray. The fourteen chapters of the grammar are followed by a reprint of Bonaventura O'Hussey's catechism in prose and verse. He composed an English-Irish dictionary with Conor O'Begly, and it was published in Paris in 4to in 1732, with an introductory poem in Irish by MacCurtin. The dictionary is a very interesting one, containing a large series