Máire Ní Chinnéide (As an iris/image from: Banba, 1903)
(Ar fáil don phobal/public domain)
Máire Ní Chinnéide (1878-1967)
Saolaíodh Máire cois Life agus d’fhoghlaim sí a cuid Gaeilge i nGaeltacht Mhúscraí agus í ar saoire ann. B’í a bhain an chéad scoláireacht bhliantúil chun na Gaeltachta is í ar an gcoláiste. B’shin an chúis gur thug sí a cuid aimsire ar Choláiste na Mumhan. Bhíodh sí ag tarraingt ar an gColáiste tiubh te.
Ina dhiaidh sin do mhúin sí Laidin trí mheán na Gaolainne i mBéal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh agus bhain líofacht amach sa bhFraincis, sa Ghearmáinis, san Iodáilis agus sa Spáinnis. Dhein sí a cuid staidéir i Scoil Léinn na Sean-Ghaeilge; a bhunaigh Osborn Bergin agus chuaigh Dr Ó Dálaigh go mór i bhfeidhm uirthi. Phós sí Seán Mac Gearailt, a bheadh ina Ard-Chuntasóir Ioncaim sa státsheirbhís ina dhiaidh sin. Bhíodar ag cur fúthu i nGlas Naíon agus i nDeilginis ina dhiaidh sin. Bhí sí ina comhbhunaitheoir de chraobh radacach an Chonartha, Craobh an Chéitinnigh.
B’í Máiréad in éineacht le deirfiúr Thorna (Tadhg Ó Donnchadha), Cáit Ní Dhonnchadha, a bhí sáite i saol na Gaeilge ag an am agus a bhí ina náisiúnaí cultúrtha mór le rá ag an am, a thug isteach cluiche na mban, camoguidheacht; .i. camógaíocht an lae inniu. B’é an scoláire mór, Tadhg Ó Donnchadha nó Torna mar ab fhearr aithne air, a scríobh rialacha an chluiche. Deirtear gurbh í Máiréad Ní Chinnéide a ghríosaigh Peig Sayers scéal a beatha a insint go háirithe maidir lena saol ar an mBlascaod Mór.
***
Born in Rathmines, Co. Dublin, Máire learned Irish on holiday in Ballyvourney and earned the first annual scholarship in Irish from the Royal University. She spent this on visits to Coláiste na Mumhan. She later taught Latin through Irish at Ballingeary and became proficient in French, German, Italian and Spanish. She studied in the school of Old Irish established by Osborn Bergin and was strongly influenced by Rev Dr Ó Dálaigh.
She married Sean MacGearailt, later first Accountant General of Revenue in the Irish civil service and they lived in Glasnevin and then in Dalkey.
She was a founder member of the radical Craobh an Chéitinnigh, the Keating Branch of the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaelige).
Along with Cáit Ní Dhonnchadha, also an Irish-language enthusiast and cultural nationalist, she was credited with having created the game of Camogie, then called camoguidheacht; they had assistance from Ní Dhonnchadha’s scholarly brother Tadhg Ó Donnchadha, who drew up its rules.
She is also said to have persuaded Peig Sayers to tell her story of life on the Blasket Islands.
Foinse/source: ainm.ie [ar líne/online]: https://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=2173 (ceadaithe/accessed 20/10/2020); RTE [ar líne/online]: https://www.rte.ie/culture/herstory/2020/0127/1111250-whos-your-heroine-maire-ni-chinneide/ (ceadaithe/accessed 27/10/2020).
Follow