William Neill (poet)
William Neill | |
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| Born | 22 February 1922 Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Died | 5 April 2010 (aged 88) Dalbeattie, Scotland |
| Resting place | Crossmichael Churchyard |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Alma mater | Edinburgh University |
| Genre | Poetry |
William Neill (22 February 1922 – 5 April 2010) was an Ayrshire-born poet who wrote in Scottish and Irish Gaelic, Scots and English. He was a major contributing voice to the Scottish Renaissance.[1]
Early life[edit]
Neill was born in Prestwick, Ayrshire and educated at Ayr Academy.[2] After service in the RAF, he studied at the University of Edinburgh and graduated with an Honours degree in Celtic studies.[3] He was a frequent contributor to Catalyst and Gairm magazines and subsequently became the second editor of Catalyst. As a young writer, he studied the poets of the Scottish Renaissance, and viewed 'modern assertions that "Scots was dying in the time of Burns" as the assertions of dyed-in-the-wool townies.
Career[edit]
Neill lived in Crossmichael in Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway and taught English at Castle Douglas High School; his wife taught at the primary school. Occasionally he would sicken of teaching English and conduct lessons in Scots instead.
Awards[edit]
The Gaelic poetry of William Neill took the National Mòd's bardic crown at Aviemore in 1969.[2][4] Other awards for his poetry have included The Grierson Verse Prize (1970), Sloan Prize (1970) and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award (1985).
Works[edit]
- Scotland's Castle, Reprographia (Gordon Wright), 1969
- Four Points of a Saltire, Reprographia (Gordon Wright), 1970
- Then and Now: poems and songs, W. Neill
- Poems, Akros Publications, 1970
- Despatches Home, Reprographia (Gordon Wright), 1972, ISBN 0-903065-07-X
- Wild Places: Poems in Three Leids, Luath Press, 1985
- Making Tracks: and other poems, Gordon Wright Publishing, 1988, ISBN 0-903065-65-7
- Straight Lines, Blackstaff Press, 1992, ISBN 0-856404756
- Tales frae the Odyssey o Homer, Saltire Society, 1992, ISBN 0-854110496
- Selected Poems, 1969-1992, Canongate Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0-86241-476-4
- A Hantle o Romanesco Sonnets bi Giuseppe Gioachino Belli (1791-1863), Burnside Press, 1995, ISBN 0-9527288-0-X
- Galloway Landscapes: poems, URR Publications, 1981, ISBN 978-0-9507609-0-2; Previous Parrot Press, 1997
- Caledonian Cramboclink, Luath Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-946487-53-0
Later life[edit]
He died in Munches Park Residential Home in Dalbeattie on 5 April 2010.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "William Neill, Poet". The Herald. 11 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Lowlander learning Gaelic will be Bard of the Mod". The Herald. Glasgow. 21 October 1969. p. 11. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ a b Wright, Gordon (20 April 2010). "Obituary: William Neill". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ "Address for bard". The Herald. Glasgow. 12 March 1970. p. 24. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
External links[edit]
- The Poetry of William Neill by Emanuela Zocca at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 September 2003)
- John Hudson interviews William Neill booksfromscotland, May 22, 2008
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- 1922 births
- 2010 deaths
- Scots Makars
- Scottish Renaissance
- 20th-century Scottish Gaelic poets
- 21st-century Scottish Gaelic poets
- 20th-century Irish-language poets
- Irish language outside Ireland
- Lallans poets
- 20th-century Scottish poets
- Scots-language poets
- Scottish male poets
- Scottish nationalists
- Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
- People educated at Ayr Academy
- 20th-century British male writers
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