A NEW book celebrating the life and work of the Donegal folklore collector Seán Ó hEochaidh will be launched this week.
Written by the Belfast-based Irish language scholar Dr Pádraig Ó Tiarnaigh, Cloch in Áit an Charnáin is a much anticipated in-depth analysis of Ireland’s most prolific folklore collector. The book launch hosted by the Donegal publisher Éabhlóid is part of the wider Oireachtas na Samhna programme, the annual Irish language festival that will be held this week at various venues throughout Belfast.
Cloch in Áit an Charnáin delves into the life and work of folklore collector Seán Ó hEochaidh. Conscious that the rich folklore heritage of the Donegal Gaeltacht would be lost to an encroaching modernity, Ó hEochaidh was tasked by the newly established Folklore Commission of Ireland with gathering and recording the folklore of the area. For over 50 years he travelled the length and breadth of the county. He collected songs and stories from local storytellers and singers.
In this book Ó Tiarnaigh shines a light on Ó hEochaidh’s lifework. Using Ó hEochaidh’s own diaries as a starting point, Ó Tiarnaigh gives an inside view of Ó hEochaidh’s vocation. Readers will discover the challenges Ó hEochaidh faced, the cast of unlikely characters he encountered, the richness of the language he encountered in the remotest of places, and the cultural context of a way of life fading from view. A must read for folklorists, language enthusiasts, historians, and anyone who enjoys a good fireside story.
Throughout the festival, the Irish language publisher Éabhlóid will host a series of events promoting some of their latest titles. Other titles include 'Sí' – a dramatic thriller by Belfast author Seán Ó Muireagáin, 'Dordéan' – a new poetry collection by Donegal writer Róise Ní Bhaoill. 'I Muinín na nDúl' – a collection of Haiku’s by Donegal poet Máire Dinny Wren, and an extraordinary new dictionary of coastal terms by Cormac Mac Giolla Easpaig.
“It is almost 30 years since Belfast last hosted Oireachtas na Samhna, the last time was in 1997,” says Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde of Éabhlóid. “While we always enjoys presenting new work at the Oireachtas festival, we are especially excited this year to be presenting so many Ulster writers in a city buzzing with such a rich creative Irish language community. It’s really exciting for us and we can’t wait to get to Belfast.”
Cloch in Áit an Charnáin, Seán Ó hEochaidh: Bailitheoir Béaloidis' will be launched by Professor Fionntán de Brún at Level 2, ICC Belfast at 2pm on Saturday November 1.
The book costs €24 and will be available at all good bookshops and direct from the publisher at https://eabhloid.com/siopa/cloch/
