Pen name None Spouse Molly Ni Mhanais Role Writer | Nationality Irish Name Padraic Conaire | |
Occupation Novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist, school teacher Genre Fiction, satire, folklore Notable works Deoraiocht, Scothscealta Died October 6, 1928, Dublin, Republic of Ireland Books An Chead Chloch, Deoraiocht, Exile, 15 Short Stories | ||
2015 Padraic Ó Conaire Plaque
Padraic O Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and journalist whose production was primarily in the Irish language. In his lifetime he wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays. His acclaimed novel Deoraiocht has been described by Angela Bourke as 'the earliest example of modernist fiction in Irish'.
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Life
O Conaire was born in Galway in 1882. His father was a publican, who owned two premises in the town. His mother was Kate McDonagh. He was orphaned by the age of eleven. He spent a period living with his uncle in Garaffin, Ros Muc, Connemara. The area is in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) and O Conaire learned to speak Irish fluently.
He emigrated to London in 1899 where he got a job with the Board of Education. He became involved in the work of the Gaelic League. A pioneer in the Gaelic revival in the last century, O Conaire and Patrick Pearse are regarded as being the two most important Irish language short story writers during the first decades of the 20th century.
He was married to Molly Ni Mhanais, with whom he had four children: Eileen (born 22 February 1905), Patrick (born 3 November 1906), Kathleen (born 24 February 1909, and Mary Josephine (28 July 1911 – 1922) who died of diphtheria.
O Conaire returned to Ireland in 1914, leaving his family in London. Living mostly in Galway, he earned a meagre living through writing, teaching at Gaeltacht summer schools, and as an occasional organiser for the Gaelic League.
He died on a visit to Dublin in 1928 after complaining of internal pains while at the head office of the Gaelic League. He was 46.
His fellow poet Frederick Robert Higgins wrote a celebrated Lament for Padraic O Conaire.
Rumour has it he saved children from a burning house but didn't want to be deemed as a hero in his family.
He has family still living to this day in England as well as in Galway and Canada. The O Conaire surname is still strong in the Ros Muc area.
Statue
A statue of O Conaire's was unveiled in 1935 by Eamon de Valera in Eyre Square in the heart of Galway City. It was popular with tourists until it was decapitated by four County Armagh men in 1999. It was repaired at a cost of £50,000 and moved to Galway City Museum in 2004. Galway City Council investigated installing a replica at the Eyre Square site.