Lorcán Ó Muireadhaigh (1883–1941) was an Irish Roman Catholic priest,

Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

educator and nationalist activist. Another Gaelicisation of his name (as per the Ulster Biography) is Lorcan Ó Muireadhaigh.Other spelling variations can be found a
UCD/folklore
He was born Laurence Patrick Murray in

Carlingford, County Louth Carlingford (; ) is a coastal town and civil parish in northern County Louth, Ireland. For the purposes of local government, the town is part of the Dundalk Municipal District. It is situated on the southern shore of Carlingford Lough with S ...

in 1883. He was educated locally and at

St Patrick's College, Armagh St Patrick's Grammar School () is a Roman Catholic boys' voluntary grammar school in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The present‑day school was officially opened on Thursday, 27 October 1988, by the late Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, then Chairman of t ...

, before going to

Maynooth Maynooth (; ) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's College, Maynoo ...

Seminary in 1901. Ó Muireadhaigh wrote articles for the ''Louth Archaeological Journal'' and ''Irisleabhar Maighe Nuadhat''. He travelled as a student to

St Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

in the United States, was ordained priest there in 1910, and became a mathematics teacher at the College of St Thomas. Following the foundation of Omeath Irish College in 1912, he spent every summer teaching in the Omeath

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

. In 1917 he lost his position at the College of Saint Thomas for refusing to take an oath of allegiance, and returned to Ireland as stoker on a ship because the British Embassy refused him a visa. In 1918 he was appointed curate in the parish of

Clonfeacle Clonfeacle ( Irish: ''Cluain Fiacal'') is a civil parish in County Armagh and County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is split across the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West in County Armagh and Dungannon Lower and Dungannon Middle in ...

, where he taught Gaelic and Irish dancing. In 1921 he became Religious Inspector for schools; he remained in that position for the next sixteen years. In 1924 he established the Gaelic monthly, ''An tUltach'' (''The Ulsterman''). In 1925 he founded St. Brigid's College in Ranafast, County Donegal. In 1926 he established the Gaelic League Provisional Council for the nine counties of Ulster and County Louth. He was an active supporter of the

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

and served as a team coach. His publications include ''Ceolta Omeith'' (1920; a collection of songs) and ''Pota Cnuasaigh'' (1924).

Notes and references

External links

Dictionary of New Ulster Biography online

1883 births 1941 deaths 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) faculty People from Carlingford, County Louth Irish-language writers Irish scholars and academics {{RC-clergy-stub