William McGonagall
Scottish weaver, actor, poet (1825-1902) · Actors · Died at 77
William McGonagall was a Scottish poet and public performer. He gained notoriety as an exceptionally poor poet who exhibited no recognition of or concern for his peers' opinions of his work.
William McGonagall is read about 163 times a day, in 20 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?Media & music
Photos 7
Memorial to William McGonagall in Greyfriars Kirkyard
Original Tay Bridge (from the north).
Original Tay Bridge (from the south) the day after the disaster.
A plaque above McGonagall's last residence records his death in 1902
Memorial plaque near to McGonagall's grave in Edinburgh dated 1999
McGonagall Square in DundeeAbout this person
McGonagall wrote about 200 poems, including "The Tay Bridge Disaster" and "The Famous Tay Whale", which are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature. Groups throughout Scotland engaged him to give recitations from his work, and contemporary descriptions of these performances indicate that many listeners appreciated McGonagall's apparent skill as a comic music hall character. Collections of his verse remain popular, with several volumes available today.
