The subseries comprises a small collection of papers relating to the Irish scholar and writer An tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire (Peter O’Leary). Ó Laoghaire was a prominent Irish language activist and member of Conradh na Gaeilge (Gaelic League). He published numerous books and articles on a range of topics, including an autobiography (‘Mo Sgéal Féin’), the first drama in Irish (‘Tadhg saor’), original prose, Irish translations of the Gospels, and translations of medieval Irish texts. The collection includes his letters to Fr. Augustine Hayden OFM Cap. and Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap., two Capuchin friars who shared Ó Laoghaire’s enthusiasm for the promotion of the Irish language. This collection also includes some material relating to Ó Laoghaire’s published work, particularly clippings of his transcriptions and translations of Irish texts, and a manuscript draft of ‘An Craos-Deamhan’. Fr. Senan Moynihan OFM Cap. was interested in Ó Laoghaire’s career and sought to promote his contribution to the Irish language. He seemingly acquired most of this material for personal research. The Ó Laoghaire collection was later preserved among Moynihan’s personal papers.
A letter from An tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire to Fr. Augustine Hayden OFM Cap. referring to the Munster Feis. Ó Laoghaire wrote ‘I used to be mad when I used to see the citizens of Cork profiting by the Feis and contributing next to nothing to the cost of the Feis’. He adds 'The people of Cork would actually let a few earnest men work themselves to death and then pay the cost of their own funerals'.
Three bound volumes of newspaper clippings containing Irish texts and some translations written by An tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire. The titles of the texts include the lives of Saint Brigid and Saint Patrick. Some of the articles refer to the ‘coming of the faith to Ireland’. Most of the article clippings seem to have been taken from the ‘Cork Examiner’.
A file containing loose clippings and Irish language notes relating to An tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire. The notes appear to be extracts on the life of St. Patrick taken from the clippings. Some of the notes are fragmentary and incomplete but refer to traditions associated with the saint. One extract reads ‘It is stupid to talk of St. Patrick overturning the altars of paganism in Ireland. The first “pagan temple” which he turned into a Christian church was a barn!’. The contents of the file were extracted from the bound volumes at CA CP/3/4/2/1.
A draft article on the life and work of An tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire. The article suggests that ‘an Athair Peadar’s Irish of the People and the autonomous verb have won the day. So, it is not alone for the quantity of his works but for the wide field in which he worked that we have to claim for an Athair Peadar that he is the “Father of Modern Irish”’. The author added ‘He was ordained in 1867, the Fenian year, and his pays his tribute to the Fenian men with the reserve of the Catholic priest reminding us that in O’Donovan Rossa’s paper there was no word of Irish …’. The article appears to be incomplete.
