Dónall Mac Amhlaigh
Encyclopedia
Dónall Peadar Mac Amhlaigh (December 10, 1926 – January 27, 1989) was an Irish writer.
He was born on the Cappagh Road between Galway
and the nearby village of Bearna and in 1940 moved with his family to Kilkenny
. He left school at 15 to go out to work in a woollen mill and later on farms and in hotels in the West of Ireland. In 1947 he joined the Irish-speaking regiment of the Irish Army
. When he left it in 1951 he faced the prospect of unemployment in Ireland. He travelled to England to work as an unskilled labourer.
He later became a writer, producing a number of novels and short stories as well as social history. He was also a prolific journalist. As a committed socialist, he contributed regularly to newspapers and journals in Ireland and England throughout the 1970s and 1980s.,
Although not a native speaker, he wrote extensively in the Irish language
. His first book was Dialann Deoraí, an account of his life as a building worker in England. It was an immediate best-seller and was published in an English translation by the poet Valentin Iremonger
(An Irish Navvy: The Diary of an Exile, 1964).
Another book, the novel Deoraithe (1986), covered similar ground, with a hero who tries to make a living in the Ireland of the 1950s and on the building sites of England.
He died in 1989 in Northampton. 53 volumes of his diaries and literary notebooks from 1950 - 1988 are held in the National Library of Ireland
.
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaidh, off the Cappagh Road in Galway, is named after him.
He was born on the Cappagh Road between Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
and the nearby village of Bearna and in 1940 moved with his family to Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
. He left school at 15 to go out to work in a woollen mill and later on farms and in hotels in the West of Ireland. In 1947 he joined the Irish-speaking regiment of the Irish Army
Irish Army
The Irish Army, officially named simply the Army is the main branch of the Defence Forces of Ireland. Approximately 8,500 men and women serve in the Irish Army, divided into three infantry Brigades...
. When he left it in 1951 he faced the prospect of unemployment in Ireland. He travelled to England to work as an unskilled labourer.
He later became a writer, producing a number of novels and short stories as well as social history. He was also a prolific journalist. As a committed socialist, he contributed regularly to newspapers and journals in Ireland and England throughout the 1970s and 1980s.,
Although not a native speaker, he wrote extensively 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 first book was Dialann Deoraí, an account of his life as a building worker in England. It was an immediate best-seller and was published in an English translation by the poet Valentin Iremonger
Valentin Iremonger
Valentin Iremonger was an Irish diplomat and poet.He was born in Dublin and joined the diplomatic service. He served as Irish Ambassador to Sweden, Norway, Finland, India and Luxembourg....
(An Irish Navvy: The Diary of an Exile, 1964).
Another book, the novel Deoraithe (1986), covered similar ground, with a hero who tries to make a living in the Ireland of the 1950s and on the building sites of England.
He died in 1989 in Northampton. 53 volumes of his diaries and literary notebooks from 1950 - 1988 are held in the National Library of Ireland
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism is the member of the Irish Government responsible for the library....
.
Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaidh, off the Cappagh Road in Galway, is named after him.