John Deady (1849-1884) – also called John Christmas Deady – was known as ‘The Poet of Duhallow’. He was educated in Mount Mellary and his best known work is ‘The Praises of Kanturk’, in which he creates a picture of the town around 1870. He was also an auctioneer and for a time acted as secretary to the Duhallow Farmers’ Club.
His house, situated in the Market Square, was a public house in Deady’s time and for some time afterwards. It is now a butcher’s shop. Deady is buried in Clonmeen.
The Praises of Kanturk by John Christmas Deady
The Praises of Kanturk by John Christmas Deady is a humorous look at life in Kanturk during the 1870’s . It is set to the air of the ‘Kanturk Jig’ composed by local musician Jackie Daly and sung by Tim Brown.