English was a Roman Catholic priest and prominent Gaelic poet; he was actively involved in the Gaelic literary culture along with his fellow poets. About 30 poems survive in MS form, many of which are politically-charged and express strong Jacobite sentiments, most notably ‘Cré agus cill go bhfaghaidh gach bráthair’ (popularly known as ‘The Friar's Firkin’). Most of these were written during the late 1750s, though he wrote poetry throughout his life.