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]
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.
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.
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).
He died in Munches Park Residential Home in Dalbeattie on 5 April 2010.[3]
