Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

whose production was primarily in the

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 ...

. In his lifetime he wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays. His acclaimed novel '' Deoraíocht'' has been described by Angela Bourke as 'the earliest example of modernist fiction in Irish'.

Life

Ó Conaire was born in the Lobster Pot public house on the New Docks in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

on 28 February 1882. His father was a

publican The (Latin ; Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'') were public contractors in the Roman Republic and Empire. In their official capacity, they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw pub ...

, who owned two premises in the town. His mother was Kate McDonagh. He was orphaned by the age of eleven. He spent a period living with his uncle in Gairfean, Ros Muc, Connemara. The area is in the

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

(Irish-speaking area) and Ó Conaire learned to speak Irish fluently. He emigrated to London in 1899 where he got a job with the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

. He became involved in the work 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 eme ...

. A pioneer in the

Gaelic revival The Gaelic revival () was the late-nineteenth-century national revival of interest in the Irish language (also known as Gaelic) and Irish Gaelic culture (including folklore, mythology, sports, music, arts, etc.). Irish had diminished as a sp ...

in the last century, Ó Conaire and Pádraig Pearse are regarded as being the two most important Irish language short story writers during the first decades of the 20th century. He was married to Molly Ní Mhanais, with whom he had four children: Eileen (born 22 February 1905), Patrick (born 3 November 1906), Kathleen (born 24 February 1909), and Mary Josephine (28 July 1911 – 1922) who died of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

. Ó Conaire returned to Ireland in 1914, leaving his family in London. Living mostly in Galway, he earned a meagre living through writing, teaching at Gaeltacht summer schools, and as an occasional organiser for the Gaelic League. He died on a visit to Dublin in 1928 after complaining of internal pains while at the head office of the Gaelic League. He was 46. He is buried in Bohermore Cemetery,

. His fellow poet Frederick Robert Higgins wrote a celebrated ''Lament for Pádraic Ó Conaire''. He has family still living to this day in England, as well as in Galway and Canada. The Ó Conaire surname is still strong in the Ros Muc area.

Inspiration for Internet satire

Ó Conaire's short story ''M'asal Beag Dubh'' was the inspiration for an Internet-based satire on the football transfer market. The fictitious character Masal Bugduv was created. The name sounds similar to the Gaelic pronunciation of ''M'asal Beag Dubh''. Journalists who did not fact-check quite as thoroughly as they should have missed the satire and told the world of the up-and-coming Moldovan star.

Statue

A statue of Ó Conaire was made by Albert Power and unveiled in 1935 by

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

Eyre Square Eyre Square ( ; ) is a city public park in Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The park is within the city centre, adjoining the nearby shopping area of William Street and Shop Street. Galway railway station is adjacent to Eyre Square. The ...

in the heart of Galway City. It was popular with tourists until it was decapitated by four men in 1999. It was repaired at a cost of £50,000 and moved to Galway City Museum in 2004. A bronze replica of the statue was unveiled in Eyre Square in November 2017.

List of writings

The following is a selection of Ó Conaire's notable works which have been republished, have won awards, been translated, or gained attention in the national press.

Novels

* ''Deoraíocht'', 1910 * ''Fearfeasa Mac Feasa''

Short stories

* '' An Crann Géagach'' – a collection of 13 short stories, including: ** '' M'asal Beag Dubh'' * ''Rogha Scéalta'', published in 2008 by CIC, a collection of 21 short stories, also including ''M'asal Beag Dubh'' ** ''Cuireadh'' ** ''M'asal Beag Dubh'' ** ''An Comhrac'' ** ''Ceol an Uafáis'' ** ''Nóra Mharcais Bhig'', 1906 ** ''Na Gaiscígh'' ** ''An tÁdh'' ** ''An Chéad Chloch'', 1914 ** ''Aba-Cána-Lú!'' ** ''Ná Lig Sinn i gCathú'' ** ''Reggie'' ** ''Misneach'' ** ''An Gníomh'' ** ''Crógacht'' ** ''An Rua ina Údar'' ** ''Trucail an Lóin'' ** ''Neill'' ** ''An Bhean a Ciapadh'' ** ''An Ceol agaus an Chuimhne I'' ** ''Cnoc mo Chroí'' ** ''Slán Agaibh, a Chairde!'' * ''Scothscéalta'', a collection containing: ** ''Teatrarc na Gaililí'' ** ''Beirt Bhan Misniúil'' ** ''Ná Lig Sinn i gCathú'' ** ''An Bhean ar Leag Dia Lámh Uirthi'' ** ''Anam An Easpaig'' ** ''Nóra Mharcais Bhig'' ** ''Neill'' ** ''An Bhean a Ciapadh'' ** ''Páidín Mháire'' ** ''M'Fhile Caol Dubh'' A collection translated into English was published as ''The Finest Stories of Padraic O Conaire'', in 1982. The collection includes all the stories from ''Scothscéalta'' plus a few more. Some editions contain 15 stories, others contain 16, the additional story being ''The Bishop's Soul'' translated to English by Breandán Ó hEithir.

Essays

References

External links

* Tom Kenny,
Ó Conaire – an fear
, ''Galway Advertiser'', 23 February 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconaire, Padraic 1882 births 1928 deaths 20th-century Irish people Irish-language writers Writers from Galway (city) 20th-century Irish journalists People on Irish postage stamps