Ulick Joseph Bourke (also known by his name in Irish, ''Uileog de Búrca''; ; ; 29 December 1829 – 22 November 1887) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

scholar and writer who founded the

Gaelic Union (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

, which later developed into the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

(or ''

Conradh na Gaeilge (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

''). Among his works were ''The College Irish Grammar'' and ''Pre-Christian Ireland''.

Biography

Ulick Joseph Bourke was born 29 December 1829 in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland, the son of Ulick and Cecilia Sheridan Bourke Bourke was educated at

Errew Errew () is a small rural settlement, about 8 km south from the county town of Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. The history of Errew follows the Franciscan monastery which was established in 1879 as a boys school which closed in 1975, the churc ...

Monastery where he studied Irish under Irish scholar and historian, James Hardiman. At age 16 he entered St. Jarlath's College in Tuam, County Galway, in May 1846. He then attended

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

in Maynooth, County Kildare,MacErlean, John. "Ulick Joseph Bourke." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 16 (Index). New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1914. 10 Jul. 2015
/ref> where he wrote the ''College Irish Grammar''.

Ecclesiastical life

He was ordained a

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

on 25 March 1858, in

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

by his mother's first cousin, the Archbishop

John MacHale John MacHale ( ir, Seán Mac Éil; 6 March 1789 (or 1791) – 7 November 1881) was the Irish Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, and Irish nationalist. He laboured and wrote to secure Catholic Emancipation, legislative independence, justice for te ...

. After leaving Maynooth, he was appointed Professor of Irish, logic, and humanities at St Jarlath's College; where he taught from 1859 to 1878. He was also president of St Jarlath's College, from 1865 to 1878. Bourke was named as a

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of the Cathedral of Tuam in 1872. During his stay at St Jarlath's, he acted for some time as private secretary to Archbishop MacHale. In 1878, Bourke served as parish priest of Kilcolman,

Claremorris Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 an ...

, Diocese of Tuam. In July 1879 he convened a mass meeting relating to the

Land War The Land War ( ga, Cogadh na Talún) was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland (then wholly part of the United Kingdom) that began in 1879. It may refer specifically to the first and most intense period of agitation between 1879 and 18 ...

, a series of civil protests to improve the position of tenant farmers, where Bourke counseled moderation. In 1879, he served on the committee of the Land League. He was one of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the alleged Knock apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in 1879.

Educational and publishing interests

Bourke's educational and publishing interests played an important role in the subsequent

Gaelic revival The Gaelic revival ( ga, Athbheochan na Gaeilge) was the late-nineteenth-century Romantic nationalism, national revival of interest in the Irish language (also known as Gaelic) and Irish Gaelic culture (including Irish folklore, folklore, Iri ...

that was taking place in Ireland. He was a member of the Ossianic Society and published Irish columns in several journals including the ''Tuam News'' and "successfully publicized" the Irish language issue in the US and Europe. During 1866, Bourke was elected a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

. He was a founding member of the

Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language The Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language (SPIL; ga, Cumann Buan-Choimeádta na Gaeilge) was a cultural organisation in late 19th-century Ireland, which was part of the Gaelic revival of the period. It was founded on 29 December 187 ...

(Cumann Buan-Choimeadia Na Gaeilge) in 1876, serving as its first chairman. He later seceded from the society with its original founders, and in March 1880, established the

, along with David Comyn (1854–1907) of the ''Gaelic Journal''. The Union, a society established for the cultivation and preservation of the Irish Language, later developed into the

. The Gaelic Union established the ''

Gaelic Journal The ''Gaelic Journal'' ( ga, Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge) was a periodical publication "exclusively devoted to the preservation and cultivation of the Irish Language". According to Tomas O Flannghaile it was "the first journal devoted to the living ...

'' which remained in print until and played an important part in the revival.

Later years

He died in Castlebar on 22 November 1887, aged 57, and was buried on 25 November 1887, at Bearnacarrol (

) in County Mayo.

Memorials

A plaque in honour of Uileog de Búrca was erected by Conradh na Gaeilge at the place of his birth on Linnenhall Street in Castlebar, County Mayo. A

Gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...

, ''Gaelscoil Uileog de Búrca'' in

was also named in his honour in 1981. The late scholar's name is also given to the Claremorris branch of Conradh na Gaeilge.

Works

* ''The College Irish Grammar'' (Dublin, 1856) * ''Easy Lessons or Self-instruction in Irish'' (Dublin, 1860) – Appeared first in ''The Nation''. * ''The Bull Ineffabilis Deus'' (Dublin, 1868) – The definition of the Immaculate Conception in four languages; Latin, Irish, French and English. * ''Aryan Origin of the Gaelic Race and Language'' (London, 1875) – A study of Irish Ethnology and the ancient Language of Ireland. * ''Memoir of the Bishop and his Times'' (Dublin, 1877) – A memoir of James O'Gallagher (Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare). * ''The Life and Labours of St. St. Augustin, Bishop of Hippo Regius, with an account of the Canons Regular and of the Augustinian Friars in Ireland'' (Dublin, 1879) * ''The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary'' (Dublin, 1880) * ''The Dignity, Sanctity and Intercessory Power of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God'' (Dublin, 1881) * ''The Life and Times of the Most Rev. Dr. MacHale, Archbishop of Tuam'' (Dublin, 1882) * ''Beatha Sheaghain Mhic Heil, Airdeaspoig Thuama'' (Dublin, 1882) – Life of John MacHale, Archbishop of Tuam. * ''A Plea for the Evicted Tenants of Mayo'' (Dublin, 1883) – Addressed to William Ewart Gladstone. * ''Prechristian Ireland'' (Dublin, 1887) – A treatise on Early Irish History, Ethnology, the origin of the Round Towers, etc.Bourke, U.J., ''Prechristian Ireland'', Brown & Nolan, Dublin, 1887
/ref> * ''A Complete Irish Dictionary'' (Dublin) – The beginning of it was published in ''The Nation'' and the final piece was not completed until his last illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourke 1829 births 1887 deaths 19th-century Irish non-fiction writers Irish male non-fiction writers 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Irish-language writers Members of the Royal Irish Academy People from County Mayo People from Castlebar