MáirÃn Nà MhuirÃosa (5 September 1906 – 27 August 1982) was an Irish scholar, poet and journalist.
Early life and family
MáirÃn Nà MhuirÃosa was born in Dublin on 5 September 1906. Her parents were Tomás Ó MuirÃosa, a mathematics teacher, and Mary (née) Golden. Her parents were Irish speakers, and the family holidayed in the Gaeltacht at
Ring, County Waterford. Nà MhuirÃosa attended school in Monaghan and Luxemburg. She was a member of Craobh MóibhÃ, the youth branch of Conradh na Gaeilge, participating in the group's 1920 production of ''An naomh ar iarraidh'' by
Douglas Hyde and ''An tobar naofa'' by Séarlot Nà Dhunnlainge for the oireachtas drama competition. She entered University College Dublin in 1924, graduating in 1927 with a BA in Celtic studies, and an MA in Welsh in 1943. She was a member of staff of Coláiste Laighean between 1929 and 1952.
She married Pádraig Ó Cinnéide in 1928. He was secretary of the Department of Health from 1948 to 1959. They had one son and one daughter. Nà MhuirÃosa died in St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin on 27 August 1982, and is buried in
Glasnevin Cemetery.
Career
Nà MhuirÃosa's first scholarly work was an edition of ''Stair an BhÃobla ó lámhsgrÃbhinn do sgrÃobh Uáitéir Ó Ceallaigh tuairim na bliadhna MDCCXXVI'', which was published in four volumes between 1941 and 1945. During the same period she worked on the ''Leabhair ó LáimhsgrÃbhnibh'' series, which was edited by
Gerard Murphy. With
Nessa Nà Shéaghdha
Nessa Nà Shéaghdha or Nessa O (14 March 1916 – 11 April 1993) was an Irish Celtic Studies scholar.
Biography
Nessa Nà Shéaghdha was born to Seán Pádraig Ó Séaghdha and Kitty Nic Caochlaoich on 14 March 1916 at 20 Aran Road, Drumcondra, ...
she edited the ''Trà Bruidhne'' series: ''Bruidhean chéise coruinn'', ''Bruidhean bheag na hAlmhan'', ''Bruidhean eochaidh bhig dheirg'', 1941. She edited ''Imtheacht an dá nónbhar agus tóraigheacht Taise Taoibhghile'' (1954) and ''Comhairle Mhic Lámha'' (1955).
She had an interest in the leaders of the early Irish-language revival movement. She published a number of articles on those early activists,
Brian Ó Luanaigh in ''Feasta'' (1969), Rev. Euseby Digby in the ''Irish Press'' (1965), and Rev.
Maxwell Close in ''Comhar'' (1966). This work culminated in a history of the prominent language activists of the Gaelic revival from 1876 and 1893, ''RéamhchonrathóirÃ'' (1968). Her essay, ''Gaeil agus Breatnaigh anallód'', on the history of Wales won a prize at the 1972 oireachtas competition and was later published as a pamphlet in 1974. She published a handbook of Irish literary history in Welsh, ''Traddodiad Llenyddol Iwerddon'', with
J. E. Caerwyn Williams
John Ellis Caerwyn Williams FBA (17 January 1912 – 10 June 1999), was a Welsh scholar. His fields of study included the literatures of the Celtic languages, especially Welsh and Irish literature. He has published books in both English and Welsh ...
. The handbook was translated into Irish and expanded, published as ''Traidisiún liteartha na nGael'' in 1979.
From the foundation of the Sunday Press in 1949, Nà MhuirÃosa was a regular contributor with her column, ''Eadrainn féin''. She was a member of numerous literary organisation, and was an acquaintance of other contemporary leading Irish language authors including
MáirtÃn Ó Direáin
MáirtÃn Ó Direáin (; 29 November 1910 – 19 March 1988) was an Irish poet from the Aran Islands Gaeltacht. Along with Seán Ó RÃordáin and Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Ó Direáin was, in the words of Louis de Paor, "one of a trinity of poets ...
. In 1946 she joined
Cumann na ScrÃbhneoirÃ, being elected secretary two years later. As a member of a delegation, NÃ MhuirÃosa met taoiseach
Éamon de Valera in 1952. This meeting led to the foundation of Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge, a body to facilitate private publishers to publish in Irish. She served on the board's committee for 15 years, and was a director of
An Club Leabhar for 20 years. NÃ MhuirÃosa won a number of prizes for poetry at
Oireachtas na Gaeilge, in 1968 she became president of the oireachtas. She was a member of the Board for Higher Education in the 1960s, and later was a member of the
Higher Education Authority
__NOTOC__
The Higher Education Authority (HEA), officially An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas, is the statutory body providing policy advice for higher education in Ireland.
Description and functions
The HEA was established under the Higher Educati ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nà MhuirÃosa, MáirÃn
1906 births
1982 deaths
20th-century Irish poets
Irish women poets
Writers from Dublin (city)
Irish scholars and academics
Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery