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Admin Biographical History
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Rugadh Máirtín Ó Cadhain i gConamara, Co. na Gaillimhe i 1905 agus bhí sé i measc na scríbhneoirí Gaeilge cruthaitheacha ba shuntasaí san fhichiú haois. D'oibrigh sé mar mhúinteoir bunscoile le linn na mblianta 1926-36. Ó 1940-44 rinneadh Ó Cadhain a imthreorannú i gCampa an Churraigh mar gheall ar a bhallraíocht in Óglaigh na hÉireann (IRA), agus mhúin sé Gaeilge dá chomhghleacaithe le linn na tréimhse priosúnachta sin. D'oibrigh sé mar aistritheoir oifigiúil don Oireachtas ó 1947-56 agus mar cholúnaí seachtainiúil don Irish Times 1953-56. I 1956 fuair Ó Cadhain post mar léachtóir Gaeilge i gColáiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath agus rinneadh Ollamh le Gaeilge de i 1969-70. Fuair sé bás i 1970.
Mar scríbhneoir, aithnítear go bhfuil Ó Cadhain ina cheannródaí ar nuachóiriú na Gaeilge. Rinne sé a chuid Gaeilge Chonamara a shaibhriú le focail ó theangacha eile (cosúil le Breatnais agus Gaeilge na hAlban) agus le focail chanúna, rud a fhágann go mbíonn deacrachtaí tuisceana ag léitheoirí nach cainteoirí dúchais iad. Ba scríbhneoir cumasach gearrscéalta é agus áirítear 'Idir Shúgradh agus Dáiríre' (1939), 'An Braon Broghach' (1948), 'Cois Caoláire' (1953), 'An tSraith ar Lár' (1967), 'An tSraith Dhá Tógáil' (1970) agus 'An tSraith Tógtha' (1977) i measc a shaothair iomadúil. Scríobh sé trí úrscéal ach níor eisíodh ach 'Cré na Cille' (1949) le linn a shaoil. Foilsíodh 'Athnuachan' (1995) agus 'Barbed Wire' (2002) tar éis a bháis. Scríobh sé roinnt paimfléad polaitiúil. Is féidir a chuid tuairimí polaitiúla a thuiscint go héasca i leabhar beag a scríobh sé faoi fhorbairt an náisiúnachais agus an radacachais in Éirinn le linn thréimhse Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), 'Tone Inné agus Inniu' (1999). Sna seascaidí scríobh sé - cuid i nGaeilge agus cuid i mBéarla - suirbhé cuimsitheach ar stádas sóisialta agus ar úsáid na teanga in iarthar na hÉireann, 'Destined to Pass', a d'fhoilsigh an Ghaeilge Bheo sa bhliain 2002. Bhí baint ag Ó Cadhain le go leor eagraíochtaí a thug tacaíocht do chearta na gcainteoirí Gaeilge, eagraíochtaí mar Muintir na Gaeltachta, Misneach, An Fáinne, Cumann na Scríbhneoirí agus Gluaiseacht Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta.
Máirtín Ó Cadhain was born in Connemara, co Galway in 1905 and was among the most prominent creative writers in the Irish language of the twentieth century. He worked as a primary school teacher during the years 1926-36. From 1940-44 Ó Cadhain was interned in the Curragh Internment Camp as a result of his membership of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), during which time he taught Irish to his fellow internees. He worked as an official translator for the Oireachtas during 1947-56 and as a weekly columnist for the Irish Times 1953-56. In 1956 Ó Cadhain joined the staff of Trinity College Dublin as a lecturer in Irish and was made Professor of Irish 1969-70. He died in 1970.
As a writer, Ó Cadhain is recognised to be a pioneer of Irish-language modernism. He enriched his Connemara Irish with words from other languages (such as Welsh and Scots- Gaelic) and dialects and consequently, much of what he wrote is reputedly hard to read for a non-native speaker. He was a prolific writer of short stories and his collections include Idir Shúgradh agus Dháiríre (1939), An Braon Broghach (1948), Cois Caoláire (1953), An tSraith ar Lár (1967), An tSraith Dhá Tógáil (1970) and An tSraith Tógtha (1977). He wrote three novels, of which only Cré na Cille (1949) - for which he is especially remembered - was published during his lifetime. Athnuachan (1995) and Barbed Wire (2002) were published posthumously. He wrote several political or linguo-political pamphlets. His political views can most easily be discerned in a small book about the development of Irish nationalism and radicalism since Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), Tone Inné agus Inniu (1999). In the sixties he wrote - partly in Irish, partly in English - a comprehensive survey of the social status and use of the language in the west of Ireland, published as An Ghaeilge Bheo - Destined to Pass in 2002. Ó Cadhain was involved in a number of organisations which supported the rights of the Irish speakers, such as Muintir na Gaeltachta, Misneach, An Fáinne, Cumann na Scríbhneoirí and the Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement. |
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Language
| Gaeilge, Béarla, Fraincis, Breatnais, Gaeilge na hAlban, Briotáinis, Bascais
Irish, English, French, Welsh, Scots-Gaelic, Breton, Basque |