Eugene O'Growney ( ga, Eoghan Ó Gramhnaigh; born 25 August 1863 at Ballyfallon, Athboy,

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, died 18 October 1899 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

), was an Irish priest and scholar, and a key figure in the

Gaelic revival The Gaelic revival ( ga, Athbheochan na Gaeilge) was the late-nineteenth-century Romantic nationalism, national revival of interest in the Irish language (also known as Gaelic) and Irish Gaelic culture (including Irish folklore, folklore, Iri ...

of the late 19th century.

Early life and education

O'Growney was born near Athboy in

, where the

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

was no longer widely used and neither of his parents spoke it. He first became interested in the language at school in St. Finian's College and later again when he chanced upon Irish lessons in the nationalist newspaper ''Young Ireland''. He had help at first from a few old people who spoke the language, and while at

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, where he continued his studies for the priesthood from the year 1882, he spent his holidays in Irish-speaking areas in the north, west and south. He got to know the

Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran i ...

and wrote about them in the bilingual ''Gaelic Journal'' (''Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge''), which he was later to edit. He was ordained priest in 1888.

Priest

He served for a short time as a curate in the Diocese of Meath but because of his proficiency in the language was appointed to the re-established Chair of Irish at Maynooth in 1891. He was editor of the ''Gaelic Journal'' between 1894 and 1899 and during his tenure ensured that more material was published in Irish. For O’Growney language, nationality and religion were closely linked. In 1890, writing in the ''Irish Ecclesiastical Review'', he described literature in Irish as "the most Catholic literature in the world". He was aware, however, of its other aspects, adding that "even if Irish were to perish as a spoken language, it would remain valuable from the pure literature point of view". His ''Simple Lessons in Irish'', first published in the newspaper the ''Weekly Freeman'', proved so popular that they were published in booklet form. There were five books in the series, and by 1903 320,000 copies had been sold. In a foreword he states: :The following course of simple lessons in Irish has been drawn up chiefly for the use of those who wish to learn the old language of Ireland, but who are discouraged by what they have heard of its difficulties... But the difficulties of Irish pronunciation and construction have always been exaggerated. A I myself was obliged to study Irish as a foreign language, and as I have been placed in circumstances which have made me rather familiar with the language as now spoken, I have at least a knowledge of the difficulties of those who, like myself, have no teacher. He was a founding member of the Gaelic League, which was created in Dublin in 1893 "for the purpose of keeping the Irish language spoken in Ireland", and later became its vice-president.

Ill health and death

In 1894, failing health caused him to go to Arizona and California, where he died. Some years after, with the aid of Irish sympathisers in the United States, his body was brought back to Ireland His funeral, held on 26 September 1903 at the Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, was attended by 6000 people, including members of the trade guilds, clerics, politicians, members of the nationalist

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

and students.McMahon 2008, pp. 9-12. He is buried in the cemetery attached to

St. Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland ...

. There is a statue of Fr Eoghan O"Growney in Athboy by famed Irish sculptor James Power.Fr O"Growney statue sculptor James Power dies, aged 90

Meath Chronicle The ''Meath Chronicle'' is a local newspaper serving County Meath, Ireland and based in the town of Navan. Publication is weekly. It is owned by Celtic Media Group Celtic Media Group provides publishing, printing and pre-press (graphic desi ...

, 22 Apr 2009

References

Sources

Caerwyn Williams J.E & Ní Mhuiríosa, Máirín. ''Traidisiún Liteartha na nGael''. An Clóchomhar Tta 1979. McMahon, Timothy G.. ''Grand Opportunity: The Gaelic Revival and Irish Society, 1893-1910''. Syracuse University Press 2008. O’Leary, Philip. ''Prose Literature of Gaelic Revival, 1881-1921''. Pennsylvania State Press 1994.

External links

The Irish Ecclesiastical Record

Looking at places
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogrowney, Eugene 1863 births 1899 deaths Irish writers 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests People from County Meath Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Academics of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Burials at Maynooth College Cemetery