Comhfhreagras (1953)
Seán Ó Ríordáin, correspondence with Toronto’s Téangadóir magazine
“Is í mo mháthair Éireannaigh des na Giolla Cheallaigh do Cho. na Gaillimhe, agus iníona iníne Sheoirse Enrí Uí Mhórdha de Cho. Mhaigh Eo. Tháinig mo shean-seanathair as Co. Chorcaí go Ceanada timpeall 1825, agus rugadh m’athair agus mo sheanathair i gCeanada. Dá bhrí sin, tá mé idir dhá capall. Ní thig liom marcaíocht ar an mbeirt, agus do roghas an capall Éireannach. Rugadh mé in Ottawa.
Maidir le mo chuid Gaeilge, do fuaras i bhPhiladelphia í. Ní thuigeann mo thuismitheoirí Gaeilg ar bith. Thuig athair mo mháthar Gaeilg go maith, ach níor mhúin sé Gaeilg ar bith dá chlann. Do léigheas leabhra Éireannaigh nuair bhíos im’ pháiste, leabhra scríofa i mBéarla (Sacsan). Do ba leabhra staire agus filíochta iad a bhí ag m’athair, ach is dócha níor léigh sé féin iad. Chuir siad grá Éireann im’ chroí, nó, b’fhearr do rá, do mhéadaigh siad grá na hÉireann a bhí ansin ó thús. Bhí bród agus grá Éireann ag mo thuismitheoirí, ag mo mháthair go háirid, ach ag an am céanna, níor dhéanaidís rud ar bith a ghoilleadh ar Shasana. Sin é an cás ag formhór na muintire Éireannaigh a bhfuil fios agam orthu, agus is ait an treo aigne é sin, dar liom.
Nuair bhíos fásta, casadh Gaeilgeoirí orm i bhPhiladelphia, agus do chromas ar Gaeilg d’fhoghlaim. Bhíos im bhall ag an Gaelic Literary Society, cnuasacht beag daoine a raibh spéis acu in Gaeilg agus sé le linn an chogaidh nuair bhí cuid mhór na mball sna Armed Services. Ach tá na baill ansin fós, agus tá grá Éireann acu fós. Fuaras mo chuid Gaeilge ó Simple Lessons in Irish leis an Athair Eoghan Ó Gramhna, le cuidiú ó bheirt fear Ulaidh, Proinnseas Ó hAodhagáin agus Mícheál Carr. Tá Gaeilg bhreá acu, níos fearr i bhfad ná tá agamsa.”
“My mother is Irish, of the Giolla Cheallaigh people of Co. Galway, and the maternal granddaughter of Seoirse Enrí Ó Mórdha of Co. Mayo. My great grandfather came from Co. Cork to Canada around 1825, and my father and my grandfather were born in Canada. Because of that, I am between two horses. I cannot ride on the two of them, and I chose the Irish horse. I was born in Ottawa.
Concerning my Irish language, I got it in Philadelphia. My parents didn’t understand Irish at all. My mother’s father understood Irish well, but he didn’t teach Irish at all to his children. I read books about the Irish when I was a child, books written in English (Saxon). They were books of history and poetry that my father had, but he himself probably hadn’t read them. They put love for Ireland in my heart, or, better to say, they increased the love for Ireland that was there from the start. My parents had pride and love for Ireland, my mother especially, but at the same time, they didn’t do anything at all to vex England. That is the case with the majority of the Irish people that I know of, and that’s an odd way of mind, I think.
When I was grown, I met Irish speakers in Philadelphia, and I began to learn Irish. I was a member of the Gaelic Literary Society, a little collection of people that had interest in Irish and it was during the was when a great number of the members were in the Armed Services. But the members are still there, and they still have love for Ireland. I got my Irish from ‘Simple Lessons in Irish’ by the Father Eoghan Ó Gramhna, with help from two Ulstermen, Proinnseas Ó hAodhagáin and Mícheál Carr. They have fine Irish, much better that I have.”
Adapted from: Ó Ríordáin, Seán. 1953. “Comhfhreagras.” Teangadóir. 1.6. Cló Chluain Tairbh: Toronto.
For citation, please use: Ó Ríordáin, Seán. 1953. “Comhfhreagras.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
