AN SEABHAC [Padraig Ó Siochfhradha] Triocha-Céad Chorca Dhuibhne (Signed Presentation Copy from An Seabhac to Ailbhe Ó Monacháin)

Tiomargadh ar a logainmneacha agus ar sheanchas a ghabhann leo san mar aon le sloinnte agus ainmneacha daoine / An Seabhac [Pádraig Ó Siochhfhradha] a shaothruigh. Four parts in one volume. Baile Átha Cliath: Béaloideachais, 1938-39. pp. xxiii, [1], 314, [1], xxii,-xxiii. Printed wrappers. Signed presentation inscription from An Seabhac to Ailbhe Ó Monacháin (1889-1967), illustrator and Irish-language activist, dated 2/9/1939. A very good copy. Extremely rare

Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (1883-1964) and his brother Mícheál Ó Siochfhradha were Irish language writers, teachers and storytellers, from Dingle, County Kerry. Pádraig wrote under the Gaelic pen-name An Seabhac (The Hawk). His most famous book is the semi-autobiographical comedy Jimín Mháire Thaidhg, published in 1919, which follows his childhood under the control of his powerful mother, Máire. His interest in place names is reflected in this collection of place names from Corca Dhuibhne. He became an active organiser for the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and was imprisoned three times for his activities. He was an independent member of Seanad Éireann from 1946 to 1948, 1951 to 1954 and 1957 to 1964, being nominated by the Taoiseach on each occasion. He was secretary to the Irish Manuscripts Commission from October 1928 to October 1932.
Ailbhe Ó Monacháin (1889–1967), born Alfred Monahan in Belfast, was an Irish-language activist, illustrator, teacher, and republican closely associated with the cultural nationalism of early twentieth-century Ireland. Educated by the Christian Brothers, he developed a lifelong commitment to the Irish language through Conradh na Gaeilge and later qualified as a teacher of Irish. Trained as a commercial artist with the Belfast printers David Allen & Sons, he became increasingly involved in nationalist politics, working alongside Liam Mellows, participating in anti-recruitment campaigns during the First World War, and taking part in the 1916 Rising at Athenry.
Following the revolutionary period, Ó Monacháin devoted his energies to Irish-language education, illustration, and publishing. He taught Irish, arts, and crafts in Dublin schools and worked closely with the republican publisher Brian O’Higgins. A committed advocate of Irish culture and the Gaeltacht, he continued to play an active role in the language revival movement, serving as president of the Oireachtas in 1961. He is remembered as an important figure in the promotion of the Irish language and cultural life in twentieth-century Ireland.

[CAT 164]