Séamus Ó Grianna (ˈʃeːmˠəsˠ oː ˈɟɾʲiən̪ˠə; 1889-1969; locally known also as Jimí Fheilimí) was an Irish

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 writer, who used the pen name Máire. Born into a family of poets and storytellers in Ranafast

Ranafast

Rann na Feirste is a village and townland in Na Rosa region of northwest County Donegal, Ireland....

, County Donegal

County Donegal

County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

, he attended local primary school until the age of 14. He spent several years at home and as a seasonal worker in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. He attended 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...

 summer college in 1910 and taught for a while for the Gaelic League. He trained formally as a teacher in St. Patrick's College, Dublin, 1912-14, and taught mostly in County Donegal until 1920. He became involved with political matters and was interned as a republican

Irish Republicanism

Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

 during the Irish Civil War

Irish Civil War

The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....

. He worked subsequently as a translator for An Gúm

An Gúm

An Gúm was an Irish state company tasked with the publication of Irish literature, especially educational materials.The agency is now part of Foras na Gaeilge. Its mission statement is "To produce publications and resources in support of Irish-medium education and of the use of Irish in general."...

, in the Irish Civil Service, and on Irish dictionaries in the Department of Education

Department of Education and Science (Ireland)

The Department of Education and Skills is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Education and Skills who is assisted by two Ministers of State.-Departmental team:...

. He expressed bitterness with Irish language politics, however, and in 1966 joined the "Language Freedom Movement

Language Freedom Movement

Founded in 1966, the Language Freedom Movement was an organization dedicated to the opposition of the state-sponsored revival of the Irish language in the Republic of Ireland with backing by such notable figures as Irish-speaking writers Séamus Ó Grianna and John B...

". His prolific literary output, spanning more than fifty years and including novels, short stories, essays, autobiography, and his famous Rann na Feirste, is a romantic and nostalgic celebration of his native place, its rich oral tradition, poetic speech, colourful characters, local lore, and varied landscape. He was the most influential of the Donegal school of regional writers and the Gaeltacht

Gaeltacht

is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...

 writer most widely read and imitated by native speakers and learners of Irish during the twentieth century. He is a brother of fellow-writer Seosamh Mac Grianna

Seosamh Mac Grianna

Seosamh Mac Grianna was an Irish writer, in his early career under the pen-name Iolann Fionn. He was born into a family of poets and storytellers, which included his brothers Séamus Ó Grianna and Seán Bán Mac Grianna, in Ranafast, County Donegal, at a time of linguistic and cultural...

.
Séamus Ó Grianna's novel Caisleáin Óir was developed into a musical and was premiered in An Grianán Theatre

An Grianán Theatre

An Grianán Theatre , with a seating capacity of 383, is the largest theatre in Letterkenny and in the whole of County Donegal. It is located on Port Road in Letterkenny, across from The Oak Tree restaurant. It is run by Patricia McBride. It also boasts the largest stage in Ireland. An Grianán...

, Letterkenny

Letterkenny

Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...

, County Donegal in 2000. It was written by Leslie Long, Kathleen Ruddy and Phil Dalton. It has since had several sell out runs in County Donegal.