() is an

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

novel by

Máirtín Ó Cadhain Máirtín Ó Cadhain (; 1906 – 18 October 1970) was one of the most prominent Irish language writers of the twentieth century. Perhaps best known for his 1949 novel ''Cré na Cille'', Ó Cadhain played a key role in reintroducing literary mod ...

. It was first published in 1949. It is considered one of the greatest novels written in the Irish language.

Title

''Cré na Cille'' literally means "Earth of the Church"; it has also been translated as ''Graveyard Clay'', ''Graveyard Soil'', ''Graveyard Earth'', ''Church and Clay'' and ''The Dirty Dust''.

Overview

The novel is written almost entirely as conversation between the dead in a

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

graveyard. The talk is full of gossip, backbiting, flirting, feuds, and scandal-mongering.

Reception

The novel is considered a masterpiece of 20th Century

Irish literature Irish literature comprises writings in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in both Latin an ...

and has drawn comparisons to the work of Flann O’Brien,

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

and

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

. In its serialised form, ''Cré na Cille'' was read aloud and gained classic status among Irish speakers. Cian Ó hÉigeartaigh, co-author of ''Sáirséal agus Dill, 1947-1981'', claims that it invigorated the revival of Irish language writing in the 20th Century.

Publication History

''Cré na Cille'' was serialised by the newspaper ''

The Irish Press ''The Irish Press'' (Irish: ''Scéala Éireann'') was an Irish national daily newspaper published by Irish Press plc between 5 September 1931 and 25 May 1995. Foundation The paper's first issue was published on the eve of the 1931 All-Ireland ...

'' and then published by Sáirséal agus Dill in 1949. It was translated into Norwegian by Professor Jan Erik Rekdal and published in 1995 by

Gyldendal Norsk Forlag Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS, commonly referred to as Gyldendal N.F. and in Norway often only as Gyldendal, is one of the largest Norwegian publishing houses. It was founded in 1925 after buying rights to publications from the Danish publishing ho ...

as ''Kirkegårdsjord - gjenfortellinger i ti mellomspill'', and translated into Danish by Ole Munch-Pedersen and published in 2000 by Husets Forlag as ''Kirkegårdsjord - genfortælling i ti mellemspil''. Two English translations of the novel were published in 2016 by

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

and

Cló Iar-Chonnacht Cló Iar-Chonnacht (CIC; ; "West Connacht Press") is an Irish language publishing company founded in 1985 by writer Micheál Ó Conghaile, a native speaker of Irish from Inis Treabhair in Connemara. He set the company up while still a student. ...

. The first translation, ''The Dirty Dust'', is by Professor

Alan Titley Alan Titley (born 28 June 1947, ) is an Irish-language novelist, translator, playwright and professor. He also wrote columns under the name Crobhingne. Early life Titley was born in Cork and educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí, St. Patrick's Co ...

, the second, ''Graveyard Clay'', by

Liam Mac Con Iomaire Liam Mac Con Iomaire (born 1937, Casla, County Galway – died 2019) was a highly respected Irish writer, journalist and broadcaster. He was a newsreader on RTÉ. He was author of a number of books and some translations, mainly concerning Connema ...

and the British cartographer Tim Robinson. An earlier translation by Joan Keefe was completed in 1984 as a doctoral dissertation, but never published. The lack of an English translation for such a long period of time after the book’s first publication became part of its renown and was a matter of speculation. Three early attempts at translation by Sáirséal agus Dill were thwarted, the first when the young woman selected as the translator joined a convent, the second by the refusal of the poet

Thomas Kinsella Thomas Kinsella (4 May 192822 December 2021) was an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher. Born outside Dublin, Kinsella attended University College Dublin before entering the civil service. He began publishing poetry in the early 1950s ...

and the third by an unsatisfactory effort by a former prison-mate of Ó Cadhain’s.

Media Adaptations

Radio

A dramatised version of the novel was broadcast on

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta (; "Radio of the Gaeltacht"), abbreviated RnaG, is an Irish language radio station owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). The station is available on FM in Ireland and via satellite and on the Intern ...

in 1973, and was revised and rebroadcast in 2006 as part of RTÉ’s Ó Cadhain centenary celebrations.

Theatre

The novel was adapted for the stage by Macdara Ó Fátharta and was performed in 1996 and 2006. The role of Caitríona Pháidín was played by

Bríd Ní Neachtain Bríd Ní Neachtain ( ; born 1959) is an Irish actress known for ''Dancing at Lughnasa''. Early life Born in Galway, Neachtain is a native of Connemara. She starred in an adaptation of Máirtín Ó Cadhain's 1948 novel, ''Cré na Cille''. Sh ...

. The action was dramatised “in a cavernous space, with characters appearing from alcoves to interact with Caitríona, before slowly drifting back into the dimly lit set - reminding us that these people are gradually merging with the graveyard clay”. Bríd Ní Neachtain was nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for her performance in the play.

Film

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

, directed by Robert Quinn, was released in 2007. Like the stage play, it was written by Macdara Ó Fatharta and starred Bríd Ní Neachtain.

References List

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cré na Cille 1949 novels 20th-century Irish novels Irish-language literature Irish novels adapted into plays Irish novels adapted into films