McGonagall published over 200 poems in his lifetime, mostly on printed broadsheets he sold in the street or after giving one of his “entertainments”. These poems may be perused here, grouped either by publication or by subject matter.
Poems by Subject
Though most famous for his disaster poems, McGonagall’s range of subjects was actually far wider:
- Disasters
- Military
- Geographical
- Deaths & Funerals
- Famous People
- History
- Moral Tales
- Temperance
- Events in the News
- Autobiographical
- Miscellaneous
Poems by Publication
The name “Poetic Gems” chosen by McGonagall for his first (and only) book of poems has been adopted and adapted for later collections of his work. Choose from one of the titles below:
- Poetic Gems [First Series] (1890)
- Poetic Gems [Second Series] (1891)
- Select Poems of McGonagall (1910)
- Poetic Gems (1934)
- More Poetic Gems (1962)
- Last Poetic Gems (1968)
- The Great McGonagall (1968)
- The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay and other Disasters (1972)
- McGonagall and Tommy Atkins (1973)
- The World’s Worst Poet (1979)
- Poetic Gems [Duckworths 1980 Version] (1980)
- More Poetic Gems [Duckworths Version] (1980)
- Still More Poetic Gems (1980)
- Yet More Poetic Gems (1980)
- Further Poetic Gems (1980)
- Yet Further Poetic Gems (1980)
- Last Poetic Gems [Duckworths Version] (1980)
- Poetic Gems [Duckworths 1989 Version] (1989)
- The Tay Bridge Disaster and Other Poetic Gems (2000)
- William McGonagall: A Selection (2003)
- Collected Poems (2006)
A few poems remain unpublished in any printed poetry collection.
Full Lists of Poems
Alternatively, you can consult a complete list of all McGonagall poems, listed either alphabetically or chronologically.
Gem of the Day
Lines in Memoriam of the Late Rev. George Gilfillan
An ode to mark the death of McGonagall’s friend and patron
