Dáibhí Ó Bruadair facts for kids

Dáibhí Ó Bruadair (born in 1625, died in January 1698) was a very important Irish language poet from the 1600s. He lived during a time of big changes in Irish history. His poems show us how the old Irish way of life and culture was fading away. They also show how poets, who were once highly respected, were losing their special place in society. One of his sad poems, D'Aithle Na bhFileadh, talks about how Ireland became less educated when the great poets were gone.

A Poet's Life

Dáibhí Ó Bruadair was born in Barrymore, County Cork. He spent most of his adult life in Limerick. He was supported by both Irish and Anglo-Irish landowners. This support was very important because Ó Bruadair was one of the first poets of his time to try and make a living only from his poetry. This was how professional bards used to live in older times.

Challenges for a Poet

It seems that trying to live only from poetry was not very successful for him. One of his poems, Is mairg nár chrean le maitheas saoghalta, suggests that he had to work as a farm labourer. He died without much money. Some of his poems, like Mairg nach fuil 'na Dhubhthuata, show his frustration with how people no longer valued poets and learning as they once did. Other poets, like Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig, also felt this way.

What He Wrote About

Besides Irish, Ó Bruadair also knew Latin and English. He was a poet who could write about many different things. He wrote about history and politics. He also wrote sad poems for his supporters who had passed away. He created sharp poems that criticized the Cromwellian settlers. He also wrote religious poems that showed deep feeling. What was quite special for a Gaelic poet, he even wrote poems for weddings. His style of writing was also very varied, using different types of metre in his poems.