Beirt Bhan Mhisniúla (2011)
Pádraig Ó Siadhail, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Drawing from the main themes of Pádraic Ó Conaire’s writings, Pádraig Ó Siadhail traces a story of love and betrayal based on the historical relationships between Ó Conaire, the Canadian Katherine Hughes (Caitlín Ní hAodha), and Mary Morrison.
Katherine Hughes was born into a lower-middle-class Irish Catholic family on Prince Edward Island. She began her career as a teacher in 1892, and after her family moved to Ottawa, she began teaching in the Kanienʼkehà꞉ka territory of Akwesasne. Hughes founded the “Catholic Indian Association” there in 1901, an organization aiming to assimilate Indigenous school inmates to Canadian settler culture. Doug George-Kanentiio of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, writes:
“We as Mohawks on the Akwesasne territory located 100 km southwest of Montreal knew nothing of our remarkable heritage when we were students at the St. Regis Catholic School… As children we were told there was no good reason to retain the Mohawk language and we should become wage earners, consumers, good citizens. We should be resilient and bear the most serious of assaults in silence.”(1)
Later leaving teaching, Katherine became a journalist for the Montreal Daily Star, then archivist for the province of Alberta. Her life took a dramatic turn in 1913 when she moved to London, England, and immersed herself in Irish culture. In startk contrast to her earlier assimilationist actions against the people of Akwesasne, Katherine burst forth into her own culture by renaming herself Caitlín Ní Aodha and learning Irish, even collaborating with Irish language author Pádraic Ó Conaire. She became deeply involved in the struggle for Irish freedom. Despite being viewed as treasonous by Canada for her stance on Ireland, she rallied for Irish self-determination across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. However, disillusioned by the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, Hughes distanced herself from her native Canada and from Irish politics. She fell into obscurity and isolation, and was buried in an unmarked grave in New York.
“‘Tá duine nua sa rang anocht againn, a scoláirí. Bean uasal ó Mheiriceá. Katherine Hughes ... nó Caitlín Ní Aodha ... sloinne breá Muimhneach é sin, nó an de chlann ársa Ghaelach Mhic Aoidh ó dheisceart Chúige Uladh thú, a Chaitlín chóir? ... Tá fáilte is fiche romhat, a Chaitlín. Buail fút anseo ag barr an tseomra.’
Ba go cotúil mall a rinne mé mo shlí go deasc folamh ag ceann an ranga. Cibé fonn a bhí orm a mhaíomh os ard nárbh as Meiriceá dom, mhaith mé an mheancóg sin do mo mhúinteoir nuair a d’fhógair sé gur de shliocht na nGael mé. Thaitin ceol is binneas an ainm sin “Caitlín Ní Aodha” liom. B’fhéidir nach raibh sé cruinn: ba de shliocht Uí Bhriain na Mumhan muintir mo mháthar; ba as Contae Ard Mhacha do mhuintir m’athar. Ach bhí blas breá Gaelach ar an ainm agus gan aon bhlas de chuid na Breataine Bige air! Bhí sé fileata mura raibh sé beacht. Chloífinn leis feasta.
Bhí mé i ndiaidh Londain a bhaint amach ag deireadh an tsamhraidh 1913 agus mé ag tosnú ar mo phost mar rúnaí feidhmeannach in oifig nuabhunaithe an Agent General of Alberta…”
“‘We have a new person in the class tonight, students. A lady from America. Katherine Hughes ... or Caitlín Ní Aodha ... I fine Munster surname that, or are you from the ancient Irish clan of Mac Aoidh from the south of Ulster, oh honest Caitlín” ... You are most welcome, Caitlín. Sit here at the front of the room.”
It was bashfully slow that I made my way to the empty desk at the head of the class. Though I desired to assert loudly that I was not from America, I forgave that mistake of my teacher when he proclaimed that I was one of the Gaelic people. The music and sweetness of that name “Caitlín Ní hAodha” pleased me. Maybe it wasn’t accurate: my mother was of the Ó Briain people of Munster; my father’s people were from County Armagh. But there was a fine Gaelic flavour to the name and without any trace of Welsh on it! It was poetic if it wasn’t precise. I submitted to it henceforth.
I was after reaching London at the end of the summer 1913 and starting my new job as executive secretary in the newly-founded office of the Agent General of Alberta…”
“Cogadh fógartha! Cogadh fógartha!” Níor thúisce ar ais i Londain mé gur fhógair Rialtas na Breataine Móire cogadh i gcoinne na Gearmáine an 4ú Lúnasa 1914. Ar nós maidrín lathaí de choilíneacht, lean Ceanada a shampla ar an toirt.
Níor ghá dom a bheith buartha faoi chúrsaí imirce is faoi aos óg na hÉireann feasta. Bheadh deireadh leis an inimirce go Ceanada fad is a mhairfeadh an cogadh. Chuir Rialtas Alberta Oifig an Ghníomhaire Ghinearálta ar fáil don Rialtas in Ottawa le tacú leis an fheachtas cogaíochta. Thar oíche, bhí orainn cromadh ar na hullmhúcháin le haghaidh na mílte saighdiúir Ceanadach a bheadh ag teacht go Sasana an fómhar sin.
Ar feadh míosa nó mar sin, is ar éigean a bhí nóiméad saor agam, de réir mar a bhíodh cruinnithe againn le státseirbhísigh is le hoifigigh mhíltata faoi na campaí a bheadh ag an leathchéad míle saighdiúir i bhFórsa Sluaíochta Cheanada a bheadh ar a slí go Sasana roimh i bhfad. Ní fhéadfá éalú ón chaint ar fad ar an chogadh. Ar bharr theanga gach duine a bhí sé. Lomlán a bhí na páipéir nuachta leis. In anneoin na hoibre, in anneoin na tuirse corpartha a bhí orm, bhí smaoineamh cinnte amháin i ndiaidh fabhrú i m’aigne. Cad é mar a bhí sé de dhánaíocht ag Rialtas Shasana a bheith ag caint ar an Bheilg bheag a shaoradh ó chos ar bolg na nGearmánach nuair nach raibh an Rialtas céanna sásta cearta saoirse na hÉireann a aithint?”
“‘War declared! War declared!” I was no sooner back in London when the Government of Great Britain declared war against Germany on the 4th of August 1914. Like a guttersnipe of a colony, Canada followed its example on the spot.
I don’t have to be worried about emigration affairs and about the youth of Ireland anymore. There will be an end to the immigration into Canada entirely as long as the war will last. The Government of Alberta made the Office of the Governor General available to support the war effort. Overnight, we had to begin the preparations for the thousands of Canadian soldiers that would be coming to England that autumn.
For about a month I barely had a free moment, as we had meetings with civil servants and with officers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force that would be on their way to England before long. You couldn’t entirely escape talk about the war. On the tip of everyone’s tongues it was. The newspaper was filled to capacity with it. Despite the work, despite the physical exhaustion that I had, one certain thought was after forming in my mind. How dare the Government of England speak of freeing Belgium from the oppression of the Germans when the same Government was unwilling to recognize the freedom of Ireland?”
Adapted from: Ó Siadhail, Pádraig. 2011. Beirt Bhan Mhisniúla. Cló Iar Chonnacht: Indreabhán.
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George-Kanentiio, Doug. 2021. “Our Mohawk Councils Failed to Protect the Residential School Children.” Red Lake Nation News.
