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Memoir composed in 1918-19 : part 2

Cuimhní cinn a breacadh 1918-19 : an dara cuid

Abstract: Douglas Hyde's memoir is in four parts, composed at various periods in 1918-19, mostly when he was ill and confined to bed. It looks back on various aspects of his career in the Irish language movement. Part 2 has 44 pages and discusses the Irish Language movement and the resignation of Sceilg, the columnist J. J. O' Kelly, at the 'Freeman's Journal'. —

Achoimre: Tá cuimhní cinn de hÍde roinnte i gceithre chuid a cumadh ag tréimhsí éagsúla, 1918-19, ach go háirithe fad is a bhí sé tinn agus nuair ab éigean dó fanacht sa leaba. Tugann sé chun cuimhne gnéithe dá shaol a bhain le gluaiseacht na teanga. Tá 44 leathanach sa dara cuid, agus sa chuid seo pléitear gluaiseacht na teanga agus éirí as an iriseora J. J. O'Kelly ('Sceilg') ón 'Freeman's Journal'.

In collection  Douglas Hyde Papers : Memoir and Postcards

Resource description

Origin information
Dublin, Ireland
Date created: –
Type of Resource
text
Physical description
p. 1-44
17 x 21 cm
Condition: Rust marks on top left corner of some pages.
Physical description: There are 44 leaves with text on the recto only. The verso of the leaves were not scanned where they are blank. Leaves 3 and 27 contain illustrations and have been scanned.
Transcriber details
Transcribed by Fiona Lyons. Please note that the transcriptions are not definitive and are subject to change.
Scope and content
The manuscript of the memoir is in four parts. It was composed by Douglas Hyde in 1918 and 1919, mainly while he was ill and confined to bed. The memoir forms the greater part of file 4 in box 2 of three boxes of material relating to Douglas Hyde held in the National Folklore Collection. Other items in the Collection include manuscripts of folklore collected by Hyde himself, handwritten and typescript copies of articles and portions of books written by him, letters sent to him, offprints, proofs, newspaper cuttings and pamphlets. As regards date, the material covers the period from 1878 to 1949.
Scope and content
The three boxes of material are believed to have been retrieved for safe-keeping at the request of local officials of Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League), by Seán Ó Súilleabháin, Archivist, Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann, from Ratra House, Hyde's residence near Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon in 1954. Ratra House was then in the care of Conradh na Gaeilge, but rapidly falling into disrepair at the time. The memoir is hand-written in pencil and is in four parts. It extends to 93 pages.
Scope and content
Part 2: 44 pages Note at top of first page: "Sgríobhtha agus mé tinn im leabaidh i mBaile Átha Cliath. Eanair (?) 1918" (Written while I was sick in bed in Dublin. January (?) 1918). General discussion of language movement and Gaelic League, Sceilg and the 'Freeman's Journal'. Reflections on the attitudes of the Irish Party and Arthur Griffith to the Gaelic League and the language movement. How they were all impressed by the ability of the young bishop of Raphoe, Dr O'Donnell at an Aonach in Letterkenny, so much so that Keawell and Norma Borthwick considered the possibility of supplanting Hyde with Dr O'Donnell, and turning the League into a clerically led movement, a clerical League. This view was also supported by Moran of the Leader. Keawell had the Lee branch in Cork cut off because it supported Fáinne an Lae, at a meeting from which Hyde was absent. On being abused because of this, Keawell withdrew from League activities, a phenomenon repeated over and over again as amateur activists were unwilling to put up with virulent criticism, e.g. by Sceilg (J. J. O'Kelly), his friends in the Keating branch and the Banba periodical damning Dr O'Hickey. Similarly, an attempt by Eoin MacNeill to resolve a row about the appointment of a teacher in the Decies resulted in him being so severely criticised that he withdrew from Gaelic League activities, despite Hyde's appeals to him. The League began to lose its charm when it became powerful enough to be worth capturing, e.g. by Griffith and Larkinites. On another occasion the radical Dublin Coiste Ceantair wanted to use a procession as an opportunity to confront the police. With considerable difficulty, Hyde managed to avert the potential trouble. As to Irish names on carts, Hyde wished to avoid legal confrontation in the courts and let the practice become so common that the authorities would not be able to act against it. But while he was on tour in the United States 1905-06 Pearse took a court case and while praised by the judge, lost, as Hyde felt was inevitable. One of the great weaknesses of the Gaelic League was the excessively large membership of the Coiste Gnótha, originally 30 people, later 45, when there just were not enough good people available to become members, or at least people who were known to the Ard-Fheis. It encouraged provincialism, viz. a Munster ticket, a Connacht ticket. Different members attended the monthly meetings. Hyde was duped into joining a group to ask the 'Freeman's Journal' to print more Connacht Irish, a move perceived as resulting in Sceilg losing his position with the paper.
Scóip & ábhar
Tá cuimhní cinn de hÍde roinnte i gceithre chuid, a cumadh ag tréimhsí éagsúla, 1918-19, ach go háirithe fad is a bhí sé tinn nuair ab éigean dó fanacht sa leaba. Is ionann na cuimhní cinn agus tromlach an ábhair i gcomhad 4, bosca 2, ceann de thrí bhosca ábhair de chuid de hÍde atá i dtaisce ag Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann. Ar an ábhar eile atá ann tá scéalta béaloidis a bhailigh sé féin, altanna agus caibidlí leabhair leis (idir lámhscríofa agus chlóscríofa), comhfhreagras ó dhaoine éagsúla, seach-chlónna, profaí, gearrtháin nuachtáin agus paimfléid. Baineann an t-ábhar uile leis an tréimhse 1878-1949.
Scóip & ábhar
Is cosúil gur shábháil Seán Ó Súilleabháin, Cartlannaí Choimisiún Bhéaloideas Éireann, an t-ábhar seo ó Theach Ráth an tSratha, teach cónaithe de hÍde i nDún Gar ar iarratas ó bhaill áitiúla Chonradh na Gaeilge sa bhliain 1954. Bhí Teach Ráth an tSratha faoi chúram an Chonartha ag an am, ach bhí drochbhail ag teacht air. Tá na cuimhní cinn scríofa i bpeann luaidhe, i gceithre chuid. Nócha a trí (93) leathanach atá ann san iomlán.
Scóip & ábhar
Cuid 2: 44 leathanach Nóta ag barr an chéad leathanaigh: Sgríobhtha agus mé tinn im leabaidh i mBaile Átha Cliath. Eanair (?) 1918. Plé ginearálta ar ghluaiseacht na teanga agus Conradh na Gaeilge, Sceilg (J. J. O'Kelly) agus an 'Freeman's Journal'. Machnamh ar mheon Pháirtí na hÉireann agus Arthur Griffith i leith Chonradh na Gaeilge agus ghluaiseacht na teanga. Mar a chuaigh cumas easpag óg Ráth Bhoth, An Dr. Ó Domhnaill, i bhfeidhm ar chách ag Aonach Leitir Ceanainn. Go deimhin, bhí Keawell agus Norma Borthwick chomh tógtha leis an Dr. Ó Domhnaill gur rith an smaoineamh leo é a cheapadh ina uachtarán in áit de hÍde, agus an Conradh a chasadh ina gluaiseacht teanga faoi cheannas na cléire, Conradh cléiriúil a dhéanamh de. Thacaigh Moran ón Leader leis an smaoineamh seo. Ar ordú Keawell, caitheadh amach Craobh na Laoi toisc gur thacaigh sí le Fáinne an Lae ag cruinniú áirithe nuair nach raibh de hÍde i láthair. De thoradh an drochíde a imríodh air ina dhiaidh seo chúlaigh Keawell ó imeachtaí an Chonartha, rud a tharla go rímhinic i gcás gníomhaithe amaitéaracha nach raibh sásta glacadh le drochíde ó leithéid Sceilg (J.J. O'Kelly) agus a chairde i gCraobh an Chéitinnigh, agus damnú an Dr. Ó hIceadha san iris Banba. Ar an gcuma chéanna, i ndiaidh dó iarracht a dhéanamh conspóid a bhain le ceapachán múinteora sna Déise a réiteach, cáineadh Eoin Mac Néill chomh láidir sin gur éirigh sé as gníomhaíochtaí an Chonartha, in ainneoin impí de hÍde. Ón uair gur bhain an Conradh stádas agus cumhacht amach, thosaigh daoine ar nós Griffith agus lucht leanúna Larkin ag nochtadh suime ann, agus ní raibh an draíocht chéanna ag baint léi as sin amach. Ar ócáid eile theastaigh ó Choiste Ceantair Bhaile Átha Cliath, coiste radacach, tabhairt faoi na póilíní i rith siúlóide áirithe, agus bhí ar de hÍde a dhícheall a dhéanamh le trioblóid a sheachaint. Maidir leis an gcosc oifigiúil ar ainmneacha Gaeilge a chur ar charranna, bhí de hÍde in aghaidh cás a thabhairt os comhair cúirte ina thaobh, ach ligean don chleachtas leathnú ar fud na tíre sa tslí nach mbeadh sé praiticiúil do na húdaráis é a stopadh. Ach fad is a bhí sé ar a thuras go Meiriceá 1905-06, thóg an Piarsach cás cúirte, agus cé gur mhol an breitheamh iarracht an Phiarsaigh, theip ar an gcás mar a bhí tuartha ag de hÍde. Ar na laigí is mó a bhain leis an gConradh bhí ballraíocht ollmhór an Choiste Gnótha, a thosaigh amach le 30 duine agus a mhéadaigh go 45, nuair nach raibh dóthain daoine cumasacha ar fáil don Chonradh chun bheith páirteach ann, nó, ar a laghad, a mbeadh aithne ag lucht na hArd-Fheise orthu. Chothaigh an ganntanas seo cúigeachas, ar nós ticéad Muimhneach nó ticéad Connachtach. Bhí daoine difriúla ag freastal ar na cruinnithe míosúla. D'imir grúpa amháin cleas ar de hÍde chun go n-iarrfadh sé ar an 'Freeman's Journal' níos mó ábhair i gcanúint Chúige Chonnacht a fhoilsiú, ach tuigeadh gurbh é an toradh a bhí air seo gur chaill Sceilg a phost leis an bpáipéar.
Languages
English  
Genre
Memoir   linked data (marcgt)
Subject
Irish language
Hyde, Douglas, 1860-1949
Gaelic League (Ireland)
The Freeman's journal (Dublin, Ireland)
Ua Ceallaigh, Seán, 1872-1957
Location
Location
University College Dublin. National Folklore Collection UCD
Suggested credit
"Memoir composed in 1918-19," held by National Folklore Collection UCD. © Public Domain. Digital content by University College Dublin, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin <http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ucdlib:266002>
Preceded by
Memoir composed in 1918-19
Record source
Descriptions created by staff of UCD Library, University College Dublin, based on information provided by the National Folklore Collection. — Metadata creation date: 2019-08-02

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