Sesiwn 67: Ystafell 7
The Irish language in antiquarianism and poetry, 19C and 20C

Cadeirydd: Stiofán Ó Briain

Fréamhacha an fhile: an teanga i bhfilíocht Choilm Bhreathnaigh

Eimear Nic Conmhaic
Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath

File agus úrscéalaí Gaeilge is é Colm Breathnach a bhfuil ocht gcnuasach filíochta foilsithe aige go dtí seo. Tá an-mhachnamh déanta ag an mBreathnach ar an teanga agus ar choincheap na Bé ó tháinig an chéad chnuasach aige amach ag tús na nóchaidí.

Sa pháipéar seo, caithfear súil ar fhréamhacha an Bhreathnaigh agus ar an tslí a dtéann siad i bhfeidhm ar a thuairimí i leith na teanga agus i leith thraidisiún na Bé in Éirinn. Tá iniúchadh déanta ag an bhfile féin ar na fréamhacha sin sa luathshaothar aige, go háirithe in An Fearann Breac (1992), Croí agus Carraig (1995) agus An Fear Marbh (1998). Tabharfar léargas sa pháipéar seo ar thionchar na gcaidreamh daonna agus an phobail dúchais ar an ngaol idir an file agus an teanga agus labhrófar ar na laigí a bhíonn ag baint leis an teanga chéanna.

‘A language without a mouth’: antiquarianism and the Irish language in the nineteenth century

Ciaran McDonough
Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh (Galway)

In 1846, the antiquarian and publisher John O’Daly brought out Féin-theagasg Gaoidheilge: self instruction in Irish: or, the rudiments of that language brought within the comprehension of the English reader, without the aid of a teacher – one of the numerous Irish grammars and learning aids that were published during the nineteenth century in Ireland. Though he had devoted time and effort to this endeavour, O’Daly remarked to John Windele that it should have been subtitled 'a language without a mouth.' This paper outlines what was known about Irish in nineteenth-century Ireland – particularly from a scholarly standpoint. It examines accounts about the language’s origins and its relationship to other languages before demonstrating that O’Daly’s fears for the future of Irish as a spoken language were not unique and were shared by many of his fellow antiquarians.

The second part of the paper argues that this antiquarian interest in the modern language spurred on the shift from a preservation stage to revival, which I refer to as ‘the antiquarianisation of the Irish language’. By devoting their attention to Irish, I argue that Irish antiquarians and, especially, their continental counterparts made the language respectable enough for it to warrant greater public interest, which would be necessary for any revival activity to take place. This, combined with the aforementioned predictions for the language’s future and hints that Irish in Ireland would soon be as historical as medieval Irish – a particular subject of antiquarian activity – can be seen as inspiring the determination for later revivalist organisations to succeed where none of the preservation societies had.

Plé ar thraidisiún lámhscríbhinní Bodach an Chóta Lachtna

Deirdre Nic Chárthaigh
Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath

Tá béim á leagan ag scoláirí le deireanaí ar an ngné chruthaitheach a bhain le ról na scríobhaithe i seachadadh théacsanna próis na Nua-Ghaeilge Moiche. Déanfar plé sa pháipéar seo ar choincheap an scríobhaí-eagarthóra (Ní Úrdail, 2011) trí anailís a dhéanamh ar sheachadadh théacs fiannaíochta ar an dtugtar Bodach an Chóta Lachtna. Tá traidisiún fairsing lámhscríbhinne ag an téacs seo, agus é ar caomhnú i mbreis agus 50 lámhscríbhinn a breacadh idir tús an ochtú haois déag agus deireadh an naoú haois déag. Tá an chóip is luaithe den scéal atá tagtha anuas chugainn le fáil in LS ARÉ 23 M 23, a breacadh i mBaile Átha Cliath sa bhliain 1731.

Is beag idir an chuid is mó de leaganacha lámhscríbhinne an scéil, agus iad ag teacht lena chéile ó thaobh bhunstruchtúr an téacs de. Léiríonn leaganacha eile, áfach, leibhéal ard d’ionchur agus de shamhlaíocht na scríobhaithe. Dhá leagan go háirithe, inar cuireadh sléachta próis agus filíochta leis an bpríomhinsint, a léiríonn an claonadh seo chun téacs a athrú agus a mhúnlú ar bhealach nua. Déanfar cur síos sa pháipéar seo ar thraidisiún lámhscríbhinne an téacs, agus ar an gcaoi a léiríonn scéal a sheachadta gur bhain idir chruthaitheacht agus choimeádachas le próiseas na scríobhaithe sa tréimhse iarchlasaiceach.