Niall Ó Dónaill (27 August 1908 – 10 February 1995) was an

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

from Ailt an Eidhinn, Loughanure,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, Ireland. He was the oldest of the six children of Tarlach ÓDónaill and Éilis NicRuairí from Grial, Loughanure. They had a little land and a few cows. His father, Tarlach, would spend June to November working for a farmer in Scotland and died when Niall was 13 years old. ÓDónaill himself spent summers working in the tunnels in Scotland. During his time at university, he spent his summers teaching at Coláiste Bhríde, Rann na Feirste. Ó Dónaill is most famous for his work as editor of the 1977 Irish-English dictionary , which is still widely used today. He received his education at in Loughanure before gaining a scholarship to St Eunan's College in Letterkenny. Another scholarship took him to

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

to study Irish, English and History. In June 1982 he was awarded a D.Litt. by

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. Ó Dónaill wrote the book which is based on stories of pastimes in the Gaeltacht town Loughanure and its surrounding area. His book was first published in 1952. He was awarded at in 1980. Ó Dónaill died in 1995.

Bibliography

: Dictionary: 1977 – – An Irish-English dictionary known as Books: 1934 – – A collection of short stories and historical events in Loughanure 1937 – – The life of John Mitchel 1951 – 1952 – – A history of

The Rosses The Rosses (officially known by its Irish language name, ''Na Rosa''; in the genitive case ''Na Rosann'') is a traditional 'district' in the west of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. The Rosses has ...

and the story of the O'Donnell dynasty Translations: 1932 – ( The Call of the Wild by

Jack London John Griffith London (; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors t ...

); 1932 – ( She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard); 1935 – ( Marie (novel) by H. Rider Haggard); 1935 – (The kindred of the wild by Charles G. D. Roberts); 1935 – ( The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum); 1936 – ( The Talisman (Scott novel) by

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

); 1936 – ( Robert Emmet by Raymond Postgate); 1937 – (Parson Kelly by A.E.W. Mason and Andrew Lang); 1938 – Commando (Commando by Denys Reitz); 1938 – ( The Master of Ballantrae by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

) 1939 – (Juggernaut by Alice Campbell); 1946 – (The Demi-Gods by James Stephens); 1958 – (a religious publication by H.B. Zimmerman) (a book about

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

by Denis Ireland) Unpublished – (The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc)

References

External links

(Ó Dónaill, 1977)
ÓDónaill's ''Irish–English dictionary'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonaill, Niall 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century Irish writers Irish-language writers Alumni of University College Dublin Linguists from the Republic of Ireland Irish lexicographers People educated at St Eunan's College Writers from County Donegal 20th-century Irish linguists 20th-century lexicographers Alumni of Trinity College Dublin