Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin
Encyclopedia
Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin (May 1780 Killarney
, County Kerry
-1838 Callan, County Kilkenny) was an Irish language
author, linen draper, politician, and one time hedge school
master. He is also known as Humphrey O'Sullivan.
He was deeply involved in Daniel O'Connell
's Catholic Emancipation
movement and in relief work among the poor of County Kilkenny
. He was also an avid bird watcher and a collector of rare manuscripts in the Irish language
.
His diary, Cín Lae Amhlaoibh
, was kept between 1827 and 1835. It remains one of the most important sources for 19th century Irish life and one of the few surviving works from the perspective of the Roman Catholic peasantry.
Amhlaoibh was probably resigned to teaching permanently, but he also makes reference to his brother, Donncha Óg, who assisted in the same job.
Amhlaoibh seems to have been reasonably well informed on many important subjects which he had learned as a hedge school master, such as mathematics, literature botany, and the Greek and Latin Classics. He was particularly interested in herbology, and his diary is dotted with references to the affairs of nature. He was comfortable in speaking, reading, and writing English. In his diary, he wrote in both languages, partly Irish and partly in English.
Amhlaoibh often had to make long trips to attend to his affairs. He was a man who loved revelry and games. He married a woman named Máire Ní Dhulachanta, but she was not often mentioned in his diary. She died and, although he expressed grief, Amhlaoibh was soon considering a new marriage. He never remarried, however.
Studies and research into the lore of the district was a hobby, as well as collecting Irish manuscripts and taking notes about the local dialect. He describes many local customs in detail, and is deeply valued by anthropologists.
When Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin died, the name engraved on his head stone was Humphrey O'Sullivan. This was the name he had given himself in English.
. A translation by Tomás de Bhaldraithe
, was published by Mercier Press in 1979.
Killarney
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
-1838 Callan, County Kilkenny) was an Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
author, linen draper, politician, and one time hedge school
Hedge school
A hedge school is the name given to an educational practice in 18th and 19th century Ireland, so called due to its rural nature. It came about as local educated men began an oral tradition of teaching the community...
master. He is also known as Humphrey O'Sullivan.
He was deeply involved in Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
's Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
movement and in relief work among the poor of County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
. He was also an avid bird watcher and a collector of rare manuscripts in the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
His diary, Cín Lae Amhlaoibh
Cín Lae Amhlaoibh
Cín Lae Amhlaoibh is a diary written by Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin between the years 1827 to 1835.It is invaluable for the insight it gives into life in rural Ireland in the early 19th century, and is a rare example of an early modern diary written in the Irish language.-References:* de Bhaldraithe,...
, was kept between 1827 and 1835. It remains one of the most important sources for 19th century Irish life and one of the few surviving works from the perspective of the Roman Catholic peasantry.
Biography
Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin came to live at Callan when he was nine years old, joining his father, Donncha Ó Súilleabháin. The next year was, again, the family settled down in Callan. Father and son devoted some time to seeking a career by teaching in the surrounding towns. School teaching began under the hedges, although eventually, a cabin was built as a school. Amhlaoibh took over the post of teacher when his father died in 1808.Amhlaoibh was probably resigned to teaching permanently, but he also makes reference to his brother, Donncha Óg, who assisted in the same job.
Amhlaoibh seems to have been reasonably well informed on many important subjects which he had learned as a hedge school master, such as mathematics, literature botany, and the Greek and Latin Classics. He was particularly interested in herbology, and his diary is dotted with references to the affairs of nature. He was comfortable in speaking, reading, and writing English. In his diary, he wrote in both languages, partly Irish and partly in English.
Amhlaoibh often had to make long trips to attend to his affairs. He was a man who loved revelry and games. He married a woman named Máire Ní Dhulachanta, but she was not often mentioned in his diary. She died and, although he expressed grief, Amhlaoibh was soon considering a new marriage. He never remarried, however.
Studies and research into the lore of the district was a hobby, as well as collecting Irish manuscripts and taking notes about the local dialect. He describes many local customs in detail, and is deeply valued by anthropologists.
When Amhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin died, the name engraved on his head stone was Humphrey O'Sullivan. This was the name he had given himself in English.
Legacy
Amhlaoibh's original manuscript is currently in the possession of the Royal Irish AcademyRoyal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy , based in Dublin, is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is one of Ireland's premier learned societies and cultural institutions and currently has around 420 Members, elected in...
. A translation by Tomás de Bhaldraithe
Tomás de Bhaldraithe
Tomás de Bhaldraithe was an Irish language scholar and lexicographer born Thomas MacDonagh Waldron in Limerick. He moved to Dublin with his family at the age of five. He was named after Thomas MacDonagh one of the signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, who had been executed after...
, was published by Mercier Press in 1979.
Quotes
"27 June 1827
...I saw two water wagtailWagtailThe wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
s hopping and flitting within a yard fried chicken of a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
which was crossing the road. They were noisily mocking the cat, which kept glancing from one side to the other at them. The poor man does the same to the tyrant when he gets the opportunity - just as the birds do to the cat."
"29 June 1827
...Feast of Saint PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and Paul.
A holiday... HurlingHurlingHurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
on the Fair Green. It was a good game. The sticks were being brandished like swords. Hurling is a war-like game. The west side won the first match and the east the second. You could hear the sticks striking the ball from one end of the Green to the other. I was watching from the top end myself with Doctor Céatinn and two priests. The well-to-do young men and women were strolling up and down the Green and on the level causeway in the center."
"16 August 1827
...At ten o'clock this morning my mother Máire Ní Bhuachalla Ní Shúilleabháin, wife of Donncha Ó Súilleabháin, died after receiving Extreme Unction by the Grace of Almighty GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. She was close to eighty years of age. Her husband, my father, died in the Year of Christ 1808, the year of the big snow. He was buried in Cill Bhríde, beside Áth an Iúir a mile from CallanCallan-People:Callan is the birth place of some famous people, namely:* Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Irish Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers* Callan also has links with Asa Griggs Candler's family and the Coca-Cola company....
, although his family's burial place is Iríolach Monastery at MucrosMuckross AbbeyMuckross Abbey is one of the major ecclesiastical sites found in the Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1448 as a Franciscan friary for the Observantine Franciscans by Donal McCarthy Mor....
beside Loch LéinLakes of KillarneyThe Lakes of Killarney are a renowned scenic attraction located near Killarney, County Kerry, in Ireland. They consist of three lakes - Lough Leane, Muckross Lake and Upper Lake.Lough Leane is the largest of the three lakes...
in KillarneyKillarneyKillarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
, Co. KerryCounty KerryKerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
. But the pressures of life sent us a long way from our people, sixteen and twenty years ago...
Small boys and girls are coming home with little bundles of gleanings.
"February 3, 1828
...There is a lonely path near Uisce Dun and Móinteán na Cisi which is called the MassMassMass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
BoreenBoreenBoreen or bohereen is an anglicised, Hiberno-English term normally meaning a narrow, frequently unpaved, rural road in Ireland. "Boreen" also appears sometimes in names of minor urban roads such as Saint Mobhi Bóithrín , commonly known as Mobhi Boreen in Glasnevin, Dublin....
. The name comes from the time when the Catholic Church was persecuted in IrelandPenal Laws (Ireland)The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
, and Mass had to be said in woods and on moors, on wattled places in bogs, and in caves. But as the proverbProverbA proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
says, It is better to look forward with one eye than to look backwards with two..."
"8 May 1830
...There is a large underground cave in Baile na Síg, two miles west of Callan, which is called 'The RappareeRappareeRapparees were Irish guerrilla fighters who operated on the Jacobite side during the 1690s Williamite war in Ireland. Subsequently the name was also given to bandits and highwaymen in Ireland - many former guerrillas having turned to crime after the war was over...
's Hole.' It seems they used to hide there after CromwellOliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's and King WilliamWilliam III of EnglandWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
's time. It's many the fine, good, honest man who had been reared in luxury and happiness who was reduced to robbery, begging, or exile by those two Englishmen."
"September 11, 1830
...Last Thursday in Dublin CastleDublin CastleDublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
I heard a band playing music which was like the music of Devils. The bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s were like a sowSowSow may refer to:* Sowing seed* Female animals: badger, bear, pig family* Shape in which metal is cast* Type of siege engine* River Sow, England* "Sow", a poem by Sylvia Plath* Sow , the band/spoken word project comprising Anna Wildsmith-People:...
crooning to her young. The musical pipe sounded like the squeeling of piglets. The fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
sounded like a muffled fartFartFart is an English language vulgarism most commonly used in reference to flatulence. The word "fart" is generally considered unsuitable in a formal environment by modern English speakers, and it may be considered vulgar or offensive in some situations. Fart can be used as a noun or a verb...
, the trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s and French hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s sounded like the laughter of fiends and the serpent like the sighing of demons, the tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
like the harsh cry of the heronHeronThe herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
. It wasn't soft like the lovenote of the heron. The clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s were like the cry of the ploverPloverPlovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
and the corncrake. It in no way resembled the sweet, gently moving music of the Irish."