William McGonagall was a Scottish poet and public performer. He gained notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers' opinions of his work.
William McGonagall
Memorial to William McGonagall in Greyfriars Kirkyard
Original Tay Bridge (from the north).
Original Tay Bridge (from the south) the day after the disaster.
"The Tay Bridge Disaster" is a poem written in 1880 by the Scottish poet William McGonagall, who has been acclaimed as the worst poet in history. The poem recounts the events of the evening of 28 December 1879, when, during a severe gale, the Tay Rail Bridge at Dundee collapsed as a train was passing over it with the loss of all on board. The number of deaths was actually 75, not 90 as stated in the poem. The foundations of the bridge were not removed and are alongside the newer bridge.
Original Tay Bridge (from the South) the day after the disaster
Photograph of section of the first Tay Bridge before its collapse, with a steam train
Original Tay Bridge (from the north)