Riocard Bairéad facts for kids
Riocard Bairéad (pronounced REE-card BAH-red), who also went by Dici or Dick Buiread, was an Irish poet and writer who lived from around 1735-1740 to 1818 or 1819. He is best known for his clever songs, especially Eoghan Coir and "Preab san Ól." "Preab san Ól" was a fun song about enjoying life.
Riocard was part of a group called the United Irishmen in his home area of County Mayo. This group worked for more independence for Ireland. He wrote in both the Irish and English languages. Sometimes, he even mixed them together in a style called macaronic writing. People have compared his funny writing style to famous writers like Jonathan Swift and Robbie Burns.
His Life Story
Riocard Bairéad was born in a place called Barrack near Ely Bay in Belmullet. He was a descendant of the Norman Barrett family. He married Nancy Tollett, whose father was a wealthy landowner. After she passed away, he married Maire Ní Mhóráin, and they had two children.
The family lived in a small cottage on a five-acre farm in Carna. Riocard also worked as a teacher in local schools. After he died, Maire, who didn't think much of his poems, burned many of his papers.
Riocard and the United Irishmen
Riocard was a member of the United Irishmen. In August 1798, when French soldiers landed in Killala to help the Irish, Riocard joined the rebels. Local stories say he fought with a pike alongside the French soldiers. They even helped defeat a larger group of loyalist soldiers in a battle known as the Races of Castlebar.
After the French soldiers surrendered in September, Riocard was arrested. However, he was released after three months. A historian named Guy Beiner noted that Riocard's poems don't talk much about his experiences during the 1798 events.
Remembering Riocard
Later, a song called "The Men of The West" was created. It used the tune of Riocard's song "Eoghan Coir" to celebrate the 1798 rebellion.
Riocard Bairéad was buried at Cross Point, west of Belmullet. The words on his tombstone once read:
- Why spend your leisure bereft of pleasure
- Amassing treasure? Why scrape and save?
- Why look so canny at every penny?
- You’ll take no money into the grave.
His grave was in poor condition, and a big storm almost washed his bones into the Atlantic Ocean. But kind people from Belmullet helped fix the cemetery wall. This made sure the poet's resting place would be safe for many more years.
A summer college for learning Irish, called Coláiste Riocard Bairéad, is named after him. It belongs to an organization called Gael Linn.
