Life
1882-1928; [var. ‘Sean-Pádraic’] b. Galway, abandoned
by father, 1888; orphaned at mother’s death, 1893; raised by English-speaking
uncle in Rosc Muc, with two younger brothers; learned Irish at local National
Schools; received scholarship to Scoil Éanna [St. Enda’s]
from Patrick Pearse; ed. Rockwell and Blackrock College, and went to sea;
entered British Civil Service in 1889; joined Gaelic League in London;
m. in 1903, fathered four children; author of four hundred short stories;
simple, hard adult stories, and many children’s stories, including
"M’Asal Beag Dubh"; influenced by French and Russian masters;
works incl. Bairbre Ruad, a play (1908, rep. 1929); Deoraidheacht
(1910, 1916), rep. with revised spelling as Deoraíoct (1973);
An Sgoláire Bocht, written 1904 (1913); Tír na
nIongantas (1913, 1917); won Oireachtas Prize in 1909 with ‘Neil’;
drank heavily while in London, returning to Ireland in 1914; sworn into
IRB by Seán T. O’Kelly, 1913; An Chéad Chloch
(1914); Seacht mBuaidh an Eiríghe Amach [Seven Victories
of the Rising] (1918), short stories (1918) -later rep. with revised
spelling as Seacht mBua an Eirí Amach, Club Leabhar choice
for 1967 and still untranslated; An Crann Géagach (1919),
essays; Béal an Uaignis (1921); Síol Eabha
(1922); contrib. to Irish Review, 1922-; Brian Og (1926),
novel; Beagnach Fíor (1927; rep. 1954); Fearfeasa Mac
Fearsa (1930); M’Asal Beag Dubh (1944, and eds.); Scothscéalta
(1956, reps.), story collection; d. in pauper’s ward of Richmond
hospital; statue by Oisin Kelly in Eyre Square, Galway, vandalised by
youths from Co. Armagh, 1998; restored. DIW IF FDA OCIL
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Works
Fiction, Nóra Mharcuis Bhig (Dublin: Clódhanna
Teo 1909); Deoraidheacht (Clódhanna Teo [Connradh na Gaeilge]
1910); new ed. Deoraíocht, foreword by Mícheál
Mac Liammóir (Dublin: Talbot 1973); Pádraigín Riggs,
ed., Deoraí [sic] (Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar
1994); Gearailt Mac Eoin, Exile [trans. of Deoraíocht]
(1994), 150pp.; An Chéad Chloch (1914); Do.,
new edn., Padraigín Riggs, ed., (Cork: Mercier 1978); Seacht
mBuaidh an Eirighe Amach ([Clódhanna Teo] 1918), new
edn., Tomás de Bhaldraithe, ed., (Dublin: Sáirséal
& Dill 1967); Síol Eabha (Dublin: Martin Lester 1922);
Tomás de Bhaldraithe, ed., Scothscéalta (Dublin:
Sáirséal & Dill 1956) [selected stories]; The Finest
Stories of Pádraic Ó Conaire (Dublin: Poolbeg 1982)
[infra].
Plays, Bairbre Ruadagus Dramaí Eile ed. Pádriag Ó Siadhail (Beal an Daingin 1989); . Also ‘Lucht Peann Faoin Saorstat’, in The Free State [ed. by Bulmer Hobson] (8 Aibreán 1922), p.4; ‘An Fhírinne agus an Bhreag sa Litridheacht’, in Fáinne an Lae (Bealtaine 1923), p.1, 6]. Also ‘Uaigneas’, Treoir don Leabhar Scothscéalta Pádraic Ó Conaire (Cork: Mercier 1972). Also, Gearailt Mac Eoin, trans. Exiles [Deoraíocht] (Cló Iar-Chonnachta 1996).
The Finest Stories of Pádraic Ó Conaire (Dublin: Poolbeg 1982) [15 short stories]; contains translations by Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, Tom MacIntyre, Sheila O’Sullivan, Eithne Strong, Niall Toibin, Con Houlihan, John MacArdle, Redmond O’Hanlon, Bryan MacMahon, Donal MacAmhlaigh, Diarmuid Ó Muirithe, Thomas Murphy, Thomas McCarthy [sic for MacCarthy], John Jordan, & Val Mulkerns.
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Criticism
U. D’A., “Padraic Ó Conaire” [obituary], in The Irish Book Lover, (July–Dec. 1928) [Vol. XVI], p.74.
P. S. O’Hegarty, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire’, in The Bell, 8, 3 (1944), pp.233-29.
Aine Ní Cháimhín, Pádraic Ó Conaire (1947).
Seosamh Mac Grianna, Pádaic Ó Conaire agus Aistí Eile (Baile Átha Cliath: Oifig an tSoláthair 1936; new ed. 1969, 1986).
Leon Ó Broin, Deoraíocht, Réamchainteanne agus Iarbhbreitheanna - Mhill Sé an Scéal le bheith Avant-Garde, review of Caoin tú Féin, in Inniu (22 Nollaig 1967).
Seosamh Ó Cuaig, review of Ceol na nGiolcach, in Inniu (14 Mean Fómhair 1968).
Oliver Snoddy, ‘Notes on Literature in Irish Dealing with the Fight for Freedom’, Éire-Ireland, 3, 2 (Summer 1968), pp.138-48.
Breandán Ó Conaire, ‘Blas na hAoise’, review of Éan Cuideáin in Comhar (Eanáir 1970), pp.19-20.
Prionsias Mac Aonghusa, ‘Phádraic Uí Chonaire, in Ros Muc go Rostov (Dublin 1972), pp.51-61.
Seán Mac Reamonn, ‘Reassessments, 15, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire’, in The Irish Times ([n.d] 1974).
Seán Ó Conghaola, ‘Bhuail mise le Sean-Phádraic Ó Conaire’, in Inniu (29 Lúnasa 1975).
Seán Ó Tuama, ‘The Other Tradition: Some Highlights of Modern Fiction in Ireland’, in Patrick Rafroidi, ‘A Question of Inheritance: The Anglo-Irish Tradition’, in Rafroidi and Maurice Harmon, eds, The Irish Novel in Our Time, Université de Lille 1975-76, p.31-45; espec. p.33f.
John Jordan, ‘Deoraíocht’, in Pleasures of Gaelic Literature [ed. Jordan] (Mercier 1977), pp.13-24.
Cathal Ó Hainle, Promhadh Pim (Maynooth 1978).
Tomás de Bhaldraithe, Pádraic Ó Conaire, clocha ar a Charn (Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar 1982).
Prionsias MacAonghusa, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire: notaí beaga faisneise’, Feasta (Feabhra 1982).
Micheál Mac Craith, ‘Deoraíocht agus The Elephant Man’, in Macalla (Gallaimh 1982), pp.1-7.
Gearóid Denvir, ed., Pádraic Ó Conaire, Léachtrí Cuimhneacháin ([Indreabhán] Galway: Cló Chonomara 1983) [incl.
Declan Kiberd, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire agus Cearta an Duine’, pp.45-57.
An tSr. Eihblín Ní Chionnaith, ‘Pádriac Ó Conaire, 1882-1928’.
Pádraigín Riggs, ‘An Deoraíocht i Saothar Uí Conaire’, &c.].
Croistóir Mac Aonghusa, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire, Nótaí Beaga Faisnéise’, in Gaillimh agus Aistí Eile (Dublin 1983), pp.107-119.
Prionsias Mac Aonghusa, ‘Pádraic Ó Conaire – Sracfhéachaint’, in Irish Times (15 Oct. 1984); Tomás Ó Broin, Saoirse Anama Uí Chonaire (Gaillimh 1984).
Nollaig Ó Gadhra, ‘The Private Life of Pádraic Ó Conaire’, in Irish Times (12 Oct. 1983).
Eibhlín Ní Chionnaith, Pádraic Ó Conaire, Scéal a Bheata (Cló Iar-Chonnachta 1993; 1995), 498pp.
Déirc an Dochais: léamh ar shaothair Phádraig Óig Uí Chonaire [Astí Léirmheasa] (Indreabhain: Cló Iar-Chonnachta 1995).
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Notes
Aisling Ní Dhonnchadha, An Gearrscéal sa Ghaeilge
1898-1940 (1981); Máirín Nic Eoin, An Litríocht
Réigiúnach (Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar
Tta 1982); Alan Titley, An tÚrscéal Gaeilge (1991);
Desmond Clarke, Ireland in Fiction [Pt. II] (Cork: Royal Carbery 1985), lists Field and Fair, trans. Cormac Breathneach, ill. Michael MacLiammoir; 12 sketches, ‘travels with a Donkey in Ireland’ (Talbot 1929), 94pp [life in the open, roadside, wood, and quarrry, incl. ‘fifty years a Widow’ and ‘Hill of My Heart’, an impression of sunrise from a moutain above Glendalough]; The Land of Wonders, trans. Eamonn O’Neill (n.d.) [fairy tale of Capt. Ross leaving Galway harbour, mutiny with children adrift in barrels, fed by birds, fostered by lion on island; joined by mother and return to Galway with lion]; The Woman at the Window (Talbot 1921; new. ed. with ills. by Michael MacLiammoir, 1932) [7 stories, vices, the worst side of human nature, gloomy]. FDA3, gave real effect to notion of modern Irish literature in his stories [BIOG, 932, as above.]
Hyland 1995, trans. C. Breathnac, Fair and Field (Talbot Press 1929), [var 1930] [ill. Micheál Mac Liammóir]; intro. F. R. Higgins.
University of Ulster Library, Morris Collection, holds Field and Fair: travels with a Donkey in Ireland (1929); Sgealta Aniar (1923).
Austin Clarke gives an account of an evening spent in the kips
in Dublin with Ó Conaire, during which a pretty girl dancing in
the middle of the floor reveals undergarments in tricolour; Padraic borrows
a pound from him, and Clarke is ‘surprised to learn some weeks later
from one of the girls that he had spent the night with her.’ (Clarke, A Penny in the Clouds, 1968, p.99; cited in Peter Costello, The
Heart Grown Brutal, 1977, p.179, ftn.)
Deoraíocht (1910), a novel: disappointed in love, Michael Mullen leaves native Galway for England; cripppled in motor accident; period in Ireland as circus freak, decked out as murderous madman and paraded in Galway streets; his life spent homeless or in seedy lodging in London; meagre plot rich in coincidence; violent mood swings; pathetic dream of domestic bliss. (Review of translation, John Dunne, in Books Ireland (Feb. 1995).
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)