{"id":2363,"date":"2026-04-01T12:13:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.dundee.ac.uk\/library\/?p=2363"},"modified":"2026-04-01T12:13:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:13:58","slug":"william-mcgonagall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.dundee.ac.uk\/library\/william-mcgonagall\/","title":{"rendered":"William McGonagall: Dundee\u2019s favourite disastrously brilliant poet\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Book<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Book cover , Poetic Gems: Selected from the works of William McGonagall<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve spent any time in Dundee, you\u2019ve probably heard the name William McGonagall<\/strong> \u2014 usually followed by a laugh, a raised eyebrow, or someone saying, \u201cyou have to read his stuff.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And honestly? They\u2019re right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGonagall is often described as the world\u2019s best bad poet<\/em>. Which sounds harsh\u2026 until you read him. Then it all starts to make sense \u2014 and becomes oddly brilliant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet Dundee\u2019s most confident poet<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1825 (possibly in Edinburgh \u2014 even that\u2019s a bit unclear), McGonagall spent most of his life in Dundee working as a handloom weaver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, at the age of 52, he decided he was destined to be a poet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not wanted<\/em> to be. Not fancied trying<\/em>. 
Destined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confidence was never the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His poetry, on the other hand\u2026 
Let\u2019s just say rhythm, rhyme and general flow were not his strong points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet \u2014 despite all of that \u2014 he became famous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

William McGonagall<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tay Bridge Disaster (you really should read this)<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you read one McGonagall poem, make it The Tay Bridge Disaster<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It tells the story of the collapse of the Tay Rail Bridge in 1879 \u2014 a hugely significant and tragic moment in Dundee\u2019s history. McGonagall had actually written a poem praising the bridge when it first opened, and later returned to it after the disaster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poem is clearly heartfelt, and you can tell he\u2019s trying to do justice to the scale of what happened and how it affected the city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh! the Tay Bridge disaster sad to say 
Will be remember\u2019d for a very long time\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then\u2026 it becomes very McGonagall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rhythm is a bit all over the place, some of the details aren\u2019t quite right, and the phrasing is exactly as dramatic as you\u2019d expect. But that\u2019s also what makes it so memorable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It probably shouldn\u2019t work \u2014 but somehow, it does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just a joke<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to laugh at McGonagall \u2014 and you should \u2014 but there\u2019s a bit more to him than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n