Sorcha Ní Ghuairim (11 October 1911 – 1976) was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, writer, and sean-nós singer.

Life

Sorcha Ní Ghuairim was born in Roisín na Manach, Carna in the Connemara

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

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on 11 October 1911. Her parents were Máirtín Gorham and Catherine Burke. She was the youngest of their 11 children. Ní Ghuairim was particularly well known as a singer. She joined her sister Máire Ní Ghuairim, in

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in 1928 and obtained a teaching post with Conradh na Gaeilge. She studied at

University College Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

with

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. An active promoter of the Irish language revival, she wrote a column for ''

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 ...

'' under the name "Coisín Siúlach". She also wrote a column regularly for the children's page under the name "Niamh Chinn Óir", and later became an editor of the paper. She taught the Irish language at Trinity College Dublin. She recorded her first album, ''Sorcha Ní Ghuairim Sings Traditional Irish Songs'', issued as Folkways Records FW06861, while visiting her brother in the

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in 1945. She moved to

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in 1955, apparently disillusioned with the future of the Irish language. She was found dead in her apartment in London, and appeared to have been dead for a period of time. Some sources do not state an exact date of death, where others give it as 15 December 1976. She was buried in Carna on 24 December 1976. The

National University of Ireland, Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

's outreach centre in Carna is named in her honour, Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim. In 2007, a documentary on Ní Ghuairim was aired on

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

, ''An Lorg Shorcha''.

References

* ''Dictionary of Irish Biography ... to the Year 2002'', p. 937, Cambridge, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ni Ghuairim, Sorcha 1911 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Irish women singers 20th-century Irish women writers Alumni of the University of Galway Irish columnists The Irish Press people Irish-language writers People from County Galway Sean-nós singers Irish women columnists Writers from County Galway