Máire Ní Shúilleabháin (2 February 1884 – 14 July 1914), was an Irish language teacher and activist.

Biography

Máire Ní Shúilleabháin was born Mary Sullivan on 2 February 1884 in

Miltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 921 at the 2022 census. Name There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawilli ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

. Her mother was Winifred Marrinan and her father, John Sullivan was a shopkeeper. Ní Shúilleabháin attended school in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

and College in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Irish. Ní Shúilleabháin was the only woman Irish language teacher appointed under the National Education Board in 1907. She was involved in the new movement of language nationalism and was involved in

Conradh na Gaeilge (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

. Ní Shúilleabháin was keen to have Irish taught as a subject in the schools. She spent four years working for the Board before her health failed. Ní Shúilleabháin then went to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia, where she continued to teach Irish to the children of Irish immigrants. She worked there as an inspector of Irish in Brisbane primary schools. She died on 14 July 1914 in the Diamantina Health Care Museum and both ''

An Claidheamh Soluis ''An Claidheamh Soluis'' () was an Irish nationalist newspaper published in the early 20th century by ''Conradh na Gaeilge'' (the Gaelic League). It was named for the " Sword of Light" (in modern spelling ''Claíomh Solais'') of Gaelic myth. ...

'' and ''The Clare Journal'' gave an account of the story.

References and sources

1884 births 1914 deaths People from Milltown Malbay Irish schoolteachers {{Ireland-bio-stub