Editor's Note: The following piece has been shared with IrishCentral from the American Irish Historical Society's (AIHS) Treasures of Time, stories from the collections and archives of the American Irish Historical Society in New York City.
This week, we take a dip into our Irish language section by focusing on playwright, educator, and folklorist Máiréad Ní Ghráda.
As noted in our present exhibit, Irish language study has long been a part of the Irish diaspora. In our early 20th-century acquisitions, we began to collect more Irish language materials to reflect the revival back in Ireland. Our Irish collection spans from the earliest editions of an Irish-language Bible to numerous instructional and linguistic materials.
Though many of our older Irish materials could be considered rare and valuable, some of the greatest cultural value comes from the widely circulated Irish books.
Public access organizations like Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), the Department of Education, and other centers for public education published and promoted their own Irish works. This public access is how we now have radio programs like RTÉ’s Raidió na Gaeltachta (Radio of the Gaeltacht, the Irish-speaking district). Such programs were created and designed by academic scholars of Irish, who took their complex study of the language to the masses and built educational programs to promote Irish language learning.
One pioneering figure of RTÉ’s Irish programming was Máiréad Ní Ghráda (1896-1971), who wrote, published, and broadcast in the language.
Ní Ghráda was born in Kilmaley, Co Clare, to a native Munster Irish speaker. Her father Séamas would recite stories to her in Irish, building a love not only of the language but of the literary culture surrounding it.
With this family background promoting learning and education, it comes as no surprise that Ní Ghráda excelled in her studies. She won a scholarship to study languages (English, French, and Irish) at University College Dublin, and soon after went on to receive her Master of Arts, supervised by famed Irish linguist Douglas Hyde.
An interior book cover from Ní Ghráda’s Ladybird publications. (AIHS)
Her study of Irish was made easier by the fact of her bilingual upbringing, but her careful inspection or form and verse pushed her into more scholarly pursuits. Immediately after completing her MA in 1919, she began publishing articles and stories in the Irish language.
Though these academic interests were challenging and intellectual, they were not solely inspired by a passion for linguistics. Her interest in Irish overlapped with her strong faith in the cause of Irish Nationalism. As a member of Cumann na mBan and organiser for Ernest Blythe’s underground Irish Government, she was heavily involved in the work of the Irish Revolution. This involvement caused some trouble for her, when she was briefly imprisoned in 1920 for selling republican flags on the street to raise money for the Gaelic League. But, once the Free State was established, she found her place among her peers as an Irish speaker.
Images from Ní Ghráda’s "An Cat Beag Buí" or "The Little Yellow Cat." (AIHS)
When the Free State radio was established, Ní Ghráda applied to be the first female organiser and speaker. With her expertise in Irish, she was asked to design programmes for women and children. Her children’s programmes, in particular, gave her the opportunity to reach directly to the next generation of Irish speakers from the comfort of their own homes.
Images from Ní Ghráda’s "An Cat Beag Buí" or "The Little Yellow Cat." (AIHS)
As she continued on as a broadcaster, she began to compose more of her own writing in Irish. Having already built an audience of those interested in the Irish language, she was able to begin promoting her work almost instantaneously.
Given her audience of children and her knowledge of Irish folklore, it should be no surprise that Ní Ghráda was a skilled writer of children’s stories. She not only shared Irish stories, but adapted fairytales of other cultures (and novels like "Peter Pan") to Irish to encourage a study of the language in all avenues.
Cover and scene from Ní Ghráda’s Irish adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin. (AIHS)
These children’s books are some of her most popular works, and she continued to publish them until her death in 1971. In our archives, these children’s books are kept within the Irish language collection, among other similar texts.
Ní Ghráda’s Irish adaptation of Cinderella. (AIHS)
However, Ní Ghráda did not contain herself to one genre, and her children’s writing highlights the lighter periods of her work. She is globally known as a playwright, and her Irish language plays are some of the best known in the world.
In these plays, Ní Ghráda pressed for a full experience of Irish culture in her native tongue. She was unafraid to tackle taboo and serious topics like single motherhood ("An triail," 1964), the exploitation of women in politics ("Breithiúnas," 1968), or the complexities of marriage ("An Grá agus an Gárda," 1937).
Her work as an author, scholar, and educator still maintains her cultural value to newer generations. Ní Ghráda’s Irish grammar book "Progress in Irish" remains one of the most widely used, and her work has motivated future linguists to continue the studies she began.
To see more on Ní Ghráda, we recommend viewing her recorded interviews in the archives of RTÉ, viewing a list of her plays on PlayographyIreland, or visiting her books in our collections at AIHS.
This column is adapted from the blog of the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS). Read the full stories at AIHSNY.org/blog.
Founded in 1897 and located on Museum Mile in New York City, the American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) preserves and promotes the history and cultural legacy of the Irish in America through its archives, art collections, and public programs. Learn more at AIHSNY.org.
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