Name Breandan hEithir Role Writer | Education NUI Galway | |
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Died October 26, 1990, Dublin, Republic of Ireland Books Lig Sinn i gCathu, Over the Bar, A Pocket History of Ireland, O\'Brien Pocket History of, The Begrudger\'s Guide to I | ||
Breandán Ó hEithir (18 January 1930 – 26 October 1990) was an Irish writer and broadcaster.
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Biography
He was born in Inishmore, County Galway. His parents were national school teachers Pádraig Ó hEithir and Bríd Ní Fhlatharta; Ó hEithir attended their school in Kilronan. He received his secondary school education at Coláiste Éinde (St Enda's College) in Galway. He attended University College Galway for three years but left without obtaining a degree.
Ó hEithir wrote in both Irish and English, and was highly regarded for the originality and liveliness of his journalism, especially his work in Irish.
After college, he spent a number of years working as a book manager for Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge. He served as an editor at Sáirséal agus Dill, the Irish language publishing house, and as Irish language editor for The Irish Press from 1957 to 1963 he also wrote a column for The Sunday Press. He was a regular columnist with the journal Comhar and also contributed a weekly column to The Irish Times. He also served as a staff journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), working on the current affairs programmes Cúrsaí and Féach.
He married Catherine von Hildebrand in 1957 and they had five children; Aindriú, Máirín, Ruairí, Briain and Maria. Catherine was born in Paris, the scion of a family of the German nobility. She is sometimes incorrectly said to have been Dietrich von Hildebrand's daughter, but was related.
He was a nephew of Aran islands author Liam O'Flaherty and Tom Maidhc O'Flaherty; the brothers of his mother Bríd. A biography of Ó hEithir has been written by Liam Mac Con Iomaire.