Background
He was born into a poor family in Waterford.
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John O'Neill
Edit ProfileEducation
At the age of nine he was apprenticed to a relative, who was a shoe-maker.
Career
He wrote a number of popular songs around this time, the best-known being a satire, "The Clothier's Looking-Glass". He next went to London, where he formed a large circle of acquaintances, among them George Cruikshank, who illustrated some of his poems ("The Drunkard", 1840, "The Blessings of Temperance", 1851, "The Triumph of Temperance", 1852). He wrote Alva, a drama, in 1821 and he enjoyed some popularity as a temperance poet.
His business ventures were not successful and he had a large family to support. At the end of his life, he was also working as a shoe-maker in Drury Lane. His last book, "Legends of Carrick" (edited by Mrs S C Hall), was published in 1854.
