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Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic in the Twentieth Century

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Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic in the Twentieth Century 144 Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic in the Twentieth Century SXEOLVKHGLQÀYHYROXPHVEHWZHHQDQG+HLVDOVRFLWHG in the new two-volume, critical evaluation, The Cambridge History of Irish Literature, published in 2006. Yet again, more impressively, in the year 2000, a Festschrift in his honor was issued by the scholarly Irish language publisher, An Clóchomhar, entitled Saoi na hÉigse: Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic Aistí in Ómós do Sheán Ó Tuama,1 (which means The Sage of Learning: Essays in Homage to Seán Ó Tuama). The contributors to this 378- in the Twentieth Century page volume comprise some of the most distinguished academic commentators in Irish about Irish Gaelic literature and culture. Séamus Blake Seán Ó Tuama’s scholarly acumen, then, is unassailable. In order to elucidate his successes and near-successes, I would like to offer brief accounts of some of the major Irish language writers who were contemporary with Ó Tuama’s career and early life. These accounts about other writers’ careers are not meant to be binary oppositions or interdependent comparisons. They present suggestions rather than being demonstrations of fact. These accounts reveal, I feel, that even though the history of the Revival literature is positive, it is deeply complicated and continues to be contentious. eán Ó Tuama’s impressive role in the Revival of Irish Language 7KHÀUVWZULWHU,ZLOOUHIHUWRLV0iLUWtQÐ&DGKDLQ ² SLiterature, to be appreciated fully, must be viewed within WKHPDMRUSURVHZULWHURI WKHPLGWZHQWLHWKFHQWXU\+LVH[SHULPHQWDO the context of other contemporary twentieth-century Irish novel, Cré na CilleÀUVWSXEOLVKHGLQDQGMXVWDJDLQUHLVVXHG writers’ works. Unfortunately, during Seán Ó Tuama’s lifetime creates a bleakly hilarious satire of the value system of a dying (1926–2006), the actual status of the language as a vehicle for community where all the characters are dead and buried in the “Earth everyday communication had declined in the Gaeltacht, and that of the Churchyard.” There they continue to argue as their awareness decline, in turn, problematizes our perception of his importance. continues to diminish even as new corpses are deposited among them. 6HiQÐ7XDPD·VSRVLWLYHLQÁXHQFHRQWKHGHYHORSPHQWRI ,ULVK This novel in Irish was known at least by reputation even among the Gaelic literary studies has been fully established by experts in the English-speaking population of Ireland. Ó Cadhain’s fame has been ÀHOG)RUH[DPSOHKHZDVDZDUGHGDQ+RQRUDU\'RFWRUDWHIRUKLV NHSW DOLYH DPRQJ SRSXODU DXGLHQFHV ,Q IDFW WZR UHFHQW ÀOPV LQ VFKRODUVKLSE\WKH1DWLRQDO8QLYHUVLW\RI ,UHODQGLQ+LVWZR Irish about him and his work recently won awards at International pathbreaking research volumes, which analyze the formative presence )LOP)HVWLYDOV2QHRI WKHPDOVRVKRZQRQ7*WKH,ULVKODQJXDJH RI )UHQFK FRXUWO\ ORYH WURSHV LQ ,ULVK *DHOLF VRQJV DQG SRHWU\ WHOHYLVLRQVHUYLFHLVDÀOPDGDSWDWLRQRI WKHWH[WRI Ð&DGKDLQ·V continue to provide paradigms for current scholarly endeavors by Cré na Cille and has just been awarded the Best Program of the Year 0tFKHiO0DF&UDLWKDQGRWKHUV7KHÀUVWYROXPHAn Grá in Amhráin 3UL]HDWWKH2LUHDFKWDVWKHPDMRU,ULVKODQJXDJHFXOWXUDOIHVWLYDO na nDaoine (1960), studies amour courtois in the songs of the Irish- Máirtín Ó Cadhain was born into circumstances of severe speaking country people; the second, An Grá i bhFilíocht na nUaisle material poverty in Connemara.2 The only reason he had a primary (1988), categorizes the love theme in the poetry of the upper classes. Ð 7XDPD LV FLWHGDV D VHPLQDO ÀJXUHLQ WKH VWDQGDUG VXUYH\V 1 Saoi na hÉigse: Aistí in Ómós do Sheán Ó Tuama, eds. Pádraigín Riggs, Brean- of Irish literature, including The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, GiQÐ&RQFK~LUDQG6HiQÐ&RLOHiLQ >'XEOLQ@$Q&OyFKRPKDU 2 An tSúir Bosco Costigan le Seán Ó Curraoin, De Ghlaschloich an Oileáin: Beatha The Proceedings of the Barra Ó Donnabháin Symposium, 2007 The Proceedings of the Barra Ó Donnabháin Symposium, 2007 Séamus Blake 145 146 Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic in the Twentieth Century school education was that his teacher persuaded Ó Cadhain’s father +LVJRDOZDVWRUDLVHFRQVFLRXVQHVVWKDWWKHGHFOLQHRI WKH*DHOWDFKW not to take him out of school in order to work their poor land. was not irreversible but patently needed urgent government action Instead, the teacher recommended that Máirtín possessed intelligence to stem the tide of emigration, joblessness, and hopeless despair. WKDW ZRXOG EHQHÀW IURP EDVLF HGXFDWLRQ /DWHU Ð &DGKDLQ ZRQ Ó Cadhain’s mantra is today repeated as the regular epigraph a scholarship, one of those made available to Gaeltacht students, printed on the Editorial page of the Belfast Irish language daily permitting him to pursue his studies at a teacher training college in newspaper, Lá Nua: “’Sí an Ghaeilge athghabháil na hÉireann agus 'XEOLQ%ULJKW*DHOWDFKWVWXGHQWVZHUHJLYHQWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WR is í athghabháil na hÉireann slánú na Gaeilge,” which means that the train to become teachers, and their success is evident in the notable Irish language entails the repossession of Ireland and the repossession increase of second language speakers of Irish up to the 1950s. of Ireland is the salvation of the Irish language, and that this requires Unlike Ó Cadhain, Seán Ó Tuama was born into a comfortably action. As an example of his taking action, Ó Cadhain famously PLGGOHFODVV XUEDQ IDPLO\ RI ,ULVK VSHDNHUV +LV IDWKHU $RGK PDUFKHGZLWKKLVFRKRUWVIURP*DOZD\WR'XEOLQWRFRQIURQWeDPRQ had been a traveling teacher for the Gaelic League in Cork. Ó GH9DOpUDWKH3UHVLGHQWRI ,UHODQGWRSXWSUHVVXUHRQKLPWRFUHDWH Tuama’s mother, Eibhlín Ní Éigearta, was also intimately involved a new Gaeltacht, re-locating a transplanted population from the in Gaelic League, Republican, and teaching activities.3 Ó Tuama rocky soil of the West on to the fat lands of Meath in Rath Cairn.5 reports that his father gave him the backward look, but his mother In contradistinction to this action, Ó Tuama behaved as a encouraged him to be upwardly mobile. Seán Ó Tuama attended the VFKRODUDQGSRHW+HSURYLGHVXVZLWKDFRQWUDVWLQJPHQWDOLW\LQ 1RUWK0RQDVWHU\D&KULVWLDQ%URWKHUV·VFKRROIDPRXVIRULWVÀQH his long poem in which he re-imagines a monk, Baoithín, who on HGXFDWLRQDQGWKHHIIHFWLYHWHDFKLQJRI *DHOLF+HODWHUZDVDZDUGHG the island of Iona had served Saint Colmcille and on his return to KLV%$0$DQG3K'GHJUHHVIURP8QLYHUVLW\&ROOHJH&RUN Ireland, discovered his people in torpor. The title of the poem, Unlike Ó Tuama, Ó Cadhain directed much of his writing and his ZKLFKLQFOXGHVWKHGDWHLV´%DRLWKtQDG·)KLOODUeLULQQ life to reverse the erosion of Irish speaking communities which had 'UpDFKW$V%DRLWKLQ5HWXUQVWR,UHODQG $Q([WUDFWµ,Q resulted from government lassitude. In his writing and his behavior, Ó the epilogue, Baoithín painfully reports the native Irish complaining: Cadhain could be blunt, cantankerous, argumentative, and frequently “What tears we had are shed, what desires we had are quenched . deliberately shocking and annoying. An infamous example of his >7@KHUHLVQRPDQDPRQJXVZKRZRXOGQRWSUHIHUWRJRVVLSWKDQ unruly public antagonism triggering emotional displays occurred keep vigil on his own body throughout the fretting night”; and now ZKHQKHGLVUXSWHGDPHHWLQJLQ'XQGDONZLWKDJRYHUQPHQWPLQLVWHU the Irish: “A bhfuil againn de dheora tá siad silte, a bhfuil againn +HVKRXWHGDQGFDUULHGRQLQVXFKDZD\DVWRJHWSUHVVFRYHUDJH de mhianta tá siad múchta. ‘S níl fear againn nach fearr leis EKHLWKDJVHDQFKDtRFKWQiEKHLWKiWKyUUDPKIpLQDUWKLQWHiQIXDUµ6 agus Saothar Mháirtín Uí Chadhain, Béal an Daingin, Conamara: Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 1987. 1956 was the year that the borders of the Gaeltacht were 3 Traloach Ó Ríordáin, Conradh na Gaeilge i gCorcaigh 1894–1910, Lúb ar Phár drastically redrawn, statistically reducing the amount of Irish 3>'XEOLQ@&RLV/LIH6HiQÐ7XDPD´0D\PRXQW7LJK9LFWHRLUHDFKD speakers. It was also the year that Ó Tuama returned from studying /HDJDGKµ´0D\PRXQW$9LFWRULDQ+RXVH'HPROLVKHGµRogha Dánta: Death in drama in Paris. In the year 1956, as well, his play, Gunna Cam agus the Land of YouthWUDQV3HWHU'HQPDQDQG6HiQÐ7XDPD &RUN&RUN8QLYHUVLW\ Slabhra Óir was staged at the Abbey Theatre. In this play the Irish Press, 1997), 20–25; Seán Ó Tuama, Sliocht as “M’Athair (I.M.),” An Bás i dTír na nÓg >'XEOLQ@&RLVFpLP ²TWGLQSaoi na hÉigse: Aistí in Ómós do OHDGHU0iQDVÐ'yQDLOOZKRGLHGLQDQGKLVVRQDUHSRUWUD\HG Sheán Ó Tuama>@´Ó hÉigearta, Eibhlín (1893–1979) [Ní Éigearta/Uí Thuama], 5 Éamon Ó Ciosáin, “An tÉireannach 1934–1937: Nuachtán Sóisialach Gaeltachta, in Diarmuid Breathnach and Máire Ní Mhurchú, 1882–1982 Beathaisnéis a Cúig, Leab- /HDEKDLU7KDLJKGH >'XEOLQ@$Q&OyFKRPKDU ² KDLU7KDLJKGH>'XEOLQ@$Q&OyFKRPKDU 6 Seán Ó Tuama, “Baoithín a d’Fhill ar Éirinn 'UpDFKW$V%DRLWKLQ5HWXUQV Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh, Ag Samhlú Troda: Máirtín Ó Cadhain 1905–1970>'XE- to Ireland (1956): An Extract,” Rogha Dánta: Death in the Land of Youth, trans. Peter OLQ@&RLVFpLP 'HQPDQDQG6HiQÐ7XDPD &RUN&RUN8QLYHUVLW\3UHVV >@² The Proceedings of the Barra Ó Donnabháin Symposium, 2007 The Proceedings of the Barra Ó Donnabháin Symposium, 2007 Séamus Blake 147 148 Seán Ó Tuama and Irish Gaelic in the Twentieth Century jockeying for power with others of their kind, slipping around to &DGKDLQ·VZRUGVDUH´%·DVVDRODQEKpDORLGLVVDROQDFKUDLEKPyUiQ court whatever they might gain from the colonizing English in order DWKU~DLUOHPtOHEOLDLQDQXDVDIiLVFHDGKPpµ11+HEHOLHYHGWKDW to satisfy their greed and small-mindedness. Ó Tuama’s criticism of this unique community had been and could still be the bedrock of a contemporary Irish society is inferred in the allegorical presentation VWDELOL]HGVRFLHW\'XULQJWKLVOHFWXUH0iLUWtQÐ&DGKDLQPD\HYHQ
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