Énrí Ó Muirgheasa (Henry Morris) (14 January 1874 – 13 August 1945), was an Irish civil servant, Irish language scholar, folklore collector, historian and writer.

Early life and family

Ó Muirgheasa was born in Cashlan East, Lisdoonan, Donaghmoyne,

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

on 14 January 1874. He was a son of Lúcas Ó Muirgheasa, a farmer, and Máire Nic Ward. He attended Lisdoonan school but learned to read and write Irish from his granduncle, Proinsias Ó Conghaile. Ó Muirgheasa married harpist and fellow teacher, Eibhlín Ní Raghallaigh (Helen O'Reilley) of Dundalk in 1906. Their son, Colum, was born and died in 1907. Eibhlín died in 1908. In 1912, he remarried to Máire Woods from County Galway. Ó Muirgheasa died on 13 August 1945 in Strabane.

Career

He was appointed

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

at Lisdoonan school in 1888, where he established the first Monaghan branch of 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 ...

. Ó Muirgheasa graduated as a teacher from

St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra St Patrick's College ( ga, Coláiste Phádraig), often known as St Pat's, was a third level institution in Ireland, the leading function of which was as the country's largest primary teacher training college, which had at one time up to 2,000 s ...

, in 1900, obtaining a teaching post at St. Malachy's,

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

, in 1901, where he was one of the founders of the Louth Historical and Archaeological Society in 1903. Ó Muirgheasa moved to Strabane, County Tyrone in 1907, where he organised the teaching of Irish in schools. He moved to Derry in 1912, and then became a school inspector in Skerries. In 1923, he was appointed a divisional inspector in Sligo, becoming deputy chief inspector in 1932. His writings were published widely in both journals and newspapers.

Bibliography

* ''Greann na Gaedhilge'', 1901 * ''Seanfhocla Uladh'', 1907 * ''Ceithearnach Ui Dhomhnaill'', 1912 * ''Cead de Cheoltaibh Uladh'', 1915 * ''Abhráin Airt Mhic Chubhthaigh'', 1916 * ''Oíche áirneáil i dTír Chonaill'', 1924 * ''Amhrán na Midhe'', 1933 * ''Dánta Diadha Uladh'', 1936 * ''Amhráin na Midhe le hÉnrí Ó Muirgheasa'', Lesa Ní Mhunghaile, Navan, Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, 2015

References

External links

Biography from Ainm.ie in IrishÓ Muirgheasa's entry on CODECSÓ Muirgheasa's collection in the National Library of Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Muirgheasa, Enri 1874 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Irish writers People from County Monaghan People from County Louth Linguists from Ireland Irish-language writers Irish civil servants Irish folklorists Alumni of St Patrick's College, Dublin