Éan Cuideáin (1936)
Pádhraic Óg Ó Conaire
Éan Cuidéan unfolds in Montréal's Griffintown Irish community, where Colm, an Irish immigrant, has forged a life with his French Canadian wife, Nan. As they aspire to move to the suburbs, Colm receives a letter about his father's demise, compelling him to return to Connemara and assume control of the family farm. Sharon Doyle Driedger in her history of Griffintown, “An Irish Heart,” (and as quoted by Pádraig Ó Siadhail), notes:
The events of Éan Cuideáin take place in 1908, so it is worth noting the change in the area’s demographics by this time: “In 1901, only one out of every three Irish Montréalers lived in Griffintown. Large numbers of second- and third-generation Irish had moved into white-collar clerical jobs, many in the railways. Electric streetcars had made the suburbs more accessible and many had moved to Point St. Charles, Verdun, or ‘over the hill’ to Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and other new developments.” Thus, Colm’s hope that he and Nan will be able to move from Griffintown to the suburbs accurately captures that neighbourhood’s contemporary transformation. Nevertheless, it is surprising that Ó Conaire never references Griffintown specifically as an Irish community - and not all his readers would recognize Griffintown as such - and that he spurns the opportunity and challenge to frame the couple’s life there in the context of the wider story of the Irish in Montréal. The author’s approach ensures that the reader learns little about Montréal.(1)
The narrative delves into the stigma attached to returning Irish emigrants like Colm, as his return to Ireland is perceived by some as a sign of failure to establish a new life in Canada and that Colm has been somehow diminished by his Canadian experience. Colm's reintegration into his Irish roots contrasts sharply with Nan's struggles. Dubbed the "Bean Cheanada" (Woman of Canada), Nan yearns to return to her own homeland, Québec.
“Éan Cuideáin (1936) by Pádhraic Óg Ó Conaire (1893-1971) shows how difficult it is for the Canadian wife of a returned emigrant to integrate with the west of Ireland community among whom her husband grew up. In their depiction of return migration, these literary texts are particularly valuable for the insights they provide on an under-researched aspect of migrant identity and of migration history.”(2)
Ultimately, the couple boards a ship to Canada by the novel's conclusion, though Colm grapples with mixed emotions about leaving Ireland once again. Their child will be raised as a Canadian, never understanding their father's internal conflict.
Bhí Colm agus Nan pósta. Urlár trí seomra i mbarr tí i nGriffin Town tógtha ar cíos acu… Dá mbeadh sé gan árdú céime ná tuarastail fháil choíche ní pá bheag ná shuarach a bhí aige ina chléireach ag Comhlacht Adhmaid. Bhí sé fhéin agus Nan ag cur an tsaoil tharta go te teolaí, gan uireasa gan imní.
As na tithe beaga a téitear sna tithe móra. San am le theacht, nuair a bheadh teannadh ar a gcúl acu, agus sláimín beag airgid curtha i dtoll a chéile, cá bhfios nach mbeadh teach gleoite acu thar bharr amach amuigh i gcluais na cathrach.
Colm and Nan were married. A three-bedroom apartment at the top of a house in Griffintown they had rented… Even if he was yet to get a promotion or bonus, the pay he had wasn’t small or mean as a clerk at the Wood Company. He and Nan were living comfortably, without want without worry.
From the small house people go into the big houses. In the future, when the penny-pinching would be behind them, and a little bit of money put away, who knows that they wouldn’t have a cute house far out in the suburbs.
D’éirigh croí Nan an pointe ar bhain sí lán a súl as an duga agus as a raibh le feiceáil ina leithéid d’áit. Chonaic sí longa ó thíortha i gcéin, óna tír fhéin - ó Mhontreál fiú amháin. Bhí sí ina girsigh arís. Í féin agus Pierre Lacrampe ag súgradh i measc saltracha móra péine deirge ar chalaí Mhontreál…
Nan’s heart rose the minute she got an eyeful of the dock and what was to see in such a place. She saw ships from far away lands, from her own country - from Montréal even. She was a young girl again. Herself and Pierre Lacrampe playing among the great red pine beams on the Montréal wharves…
“Dá mbeadh an gleann seo faoi choillte,” arsa Nan, le Máire Ní Niadh, agus iad ag dul siar gleann an Mháma Mhóir, “b’aoibhneas croí tamall a chaitheamh ann.”
“D’fhéadfá a rá,” arsa Máire, agus chuir binn an tseáil lena leiceann.
“Ach ar uaigneas, ar loime is ar sceirdiúlacht sárú Ros na gCloch ní fhacas ariamh,” arsa Nan.
Bhíog sí ach a bhfuair amharc ar chuan an Líonáin. Dúirt le tiománaí an cháirr stad go mbaineadh lán a súl as an radharc aoibhinn. “Sin seoid i bhfíorfhiántas,” ar sise. “Cuireann sé Abha San Labhrás i gcuimhne dhom, ar mhódh,” agus lig osna… Agus cé go raibh beanna arda Cheanada ar na gcéad radharc a chonaic Nan, cé go raibh seanchleachtadh aici bheith ag strapadóireacht ar Mhont Royale, cé gur mhinic di tréimhse a chaitheamh i nGaspé le aintín di, caithfear admháil gur drogall dúr a bhuail í ach a bhfuair léargas ar an gcnoc sin is geal le croí Gael ar fud na cruinne… Thuas faoi bhun an chnoic, san áit a raibh géire ag teacht ann, chonaic sí dealbh Naomh Pádhraic. Ar an gCalbharí atá ar an mbealach go Varennes a chuimhnigh sí… Lig Nan a ceann isteach in aghaidh an deilbh fhuair. Leathaigh an radharc uirthi. Labhair sí le Dia faoi bhun an chnoic uaignigh úd ar chaoi nár labhair sí ariamh cheana - fiú amháin ag Aifreann an Mheáin Oíche, oíche Nollag i Montreál.
“If this valley would be wooded,” said Nan, with Máire Ní Niadh, and them going back through the valley of Mám Mór, “it would be the delight of my heart to spend a while there.”
“You could say,” said Máire, and she put the edge of the shawl to her cheek.
“But sadly, of bareness and bleakness the better of Ros na gCloch I have never seen,” said Nan.
She squeeked when she saw Cuan an Líonáin. The cart driver was told to stop that they could get an eyeful of the beautiful sight. “That’s a jewel in the true wilderness,” she said. “It reminds me of the St. Lawrence River, in a way,” and she sighed… And although the tall mountains of Canada were the first sights that Nan saw, although she had often practiced climbing on Mont Royale, although she often spend time in Gaspé with her aunt, it would have to be admitted that a deep repugnance struck her from the sight of those hills that are beloved to the hearts of Gaels around the world… Up to the foot of the hill, in the place where it became steep, she saw a statue of St. Patrick. About the Calvary statues on the way to Varennes she thought… Nan put her head against the cold statue. She closed her eyes. She spoke with God at the bottom of that lonely hill in a way she hadn’t ever spoken - except at midnight mass on Christmas Eve in Montréal.
Three priests walking by the Calvaire de Varennes, 1926 (Public Domain Image)
About the Author
Pádhraic Óg Ó Conaire, was born in 1893 in Ros Muc, Co. Galway, part of the Connemara Gaeltacht. He was a prominent figure in Irish literature and language advocacy. Beginning his career as a traveling teacher in 1910, he dedicated decades to educating in various rural areas across Ireland. In 1925, he initiated Irish language courses in his hometown. Pádhraic, deeply passionate about preserving the Irish language, served as a translator and radio broadcaster, delivering news in the Connacht dialect.
His literary contributions include several original works capturing the evolving life in western Ireland. Pádhraic never personally visited Canada and, as Pádraig Ó Siadhail notes, his legacy is complex due to his uncredited use of direct translations from several works, including Frank Oliver Call's "The Spell of French Canada" to add Canadian content to his novel "Éan Cuideáin." Pádhraic Óg Ó Conaire's commitment to Irish culture and language remained steadfast until his passing in 1971.
Excerpts adapted from: Ó Conaire, Pádhraic Óg. 1936. Éan Cuideáin. Muintir Chathail: Baile Átha Cliath.
For citation, please use: Ó Conaire, Pádhraic Óg. 1936. “Éan Cuideáin.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
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Sumner, Natasha and Doyle, Aiden. 2020. North American Gaels. McGill-Queen's University Press: Montreal.
Ní Dhonnchadha, Aisling an Nic Eoin, Máirín. 2012. “Ar an gCoigcíoch.” Irish Review. 44.
