Ar an 15ú lá Iúil 2022, céiliúrfaimid comóradh céad bliain i ndiaidh bhreithlá an t-údar, Cathal Ó Sándair. Bhain sé cáil amach lena shraitheanna leabhar do dhéagóirí. Agus muid ag druidim i dtreo an chomóraidh seo, chaith foireann Sainchnuasaigh UCD am ag catalógú tromlach na leabhar a scríobh Ó Sándair, mar chuid den obair ar Chartlann na gCanúintí.
Friday the 15th of July marks what would have been the 100th birthday of pioneer of Irish language juvenile literature, Cathal Ó Sándair. This year, UCD Special Collections have spent time cataloguing the vast majority of Ó Sándair’s publications as part of work on the Irish Dialect Archive collection or Cartlann na gCanúintí.
Rugadh i Weston-super-mare Shasana é, d’athair Sasanach agus máthair Éireannach. Bhog a theaghlach go dtí Baile Átha Cliath agus é an-óg. D’fhreastal sé ar Scoil Treasa, an áit a d’fhoghlaim sé an Ghaeilge, agus ar chuir sé spéis sa teanga. Bhí an-shuim aige sa teangeolaíocht agus d’fhoghlaim sé Gaeilge na hAlban, Manainnis, Breatnais, Coirnis, agus Briotáinis. Chomh maith leis sin, bhí cur amach aige ar theangacha eile mar shampla an Fhraincís, an Ghearmáinis, an Spáinnis, an Rúisis, agus an Ísiltíris.
Born in Weston-super-mare, to an English father and Irish mother, a young Ó Sándair would move to Dublin starting in Scoil Treasa, where he would strike up his interest in the Irish language. Ó Sándair’s love of languages would not be confined to Irish, and he went on to learn Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton, as well as having a working proficiency in French, German, Spanish, Russian and Dutch.
Foilsíodh a chéad ghearrscéal agus é sé bliana déag d’aois, faoin ainm cleite “Cuan Aoibheann’. I bhfoilseachán na mBráithre Chríostaí, Our Boys a bhí sé. Ceithre bliana ina dhiaidh sin, d’fhoilsigh An Gúm a chéad leabhar do dhaoine óga ‘Tríocha Píosa Airgid’. Ansin, tháinig a dara leabhar, agus cuireadh an bleachtaire Réics Carló in aithne don phobal den chéad uair. Ba é sin an tsraith is cáiliúla de chuid Uí Shándair agus is ba mhó an tóir a bhí ar an tsraith chéanna. Bhlais an laoch eachtraí agus dúshláin gach áit ó Pháirc an Chrocaigh go Meicsiceo.
Ó Sándair published his first ever Irish-language short story aged just sixteen, in the Irish Christian Brothers magazine, Our Boys, under the pen name Cuan Aoibheann. A mere four years later, his first book for young readers, Tríocha Píosa Airgid was published by An Gúm. Followed a year later by Na Mairbh a d’Fhill, featuring the first appearance of detective hero, Réics Carló. Becoming his most successful series, Réics would take on challenges and adventures everywhere from Croke Park to Mexico.
Lean Réics air mar an laoch is mó eilimh a chruthaigh Ó Sándair, ach bhí sraitheanna éagsúla aige freisin: spásaire Captaen Spéirling, laoch an Iarthair Réamonn Óg, agus Captaen Toirneach. I mí Eanair 1953, foilsíodh an chéad sraith stílghreannáin as Gaeilge, An tEiteallán Dó-Fheicthe, mar chuid den irisleabhar Inniu. Chuir Ó Sándair ábhair chuig an bhfoilseachán sin go minic ina dhiaidh sin.
While Réics remained Ó Sándair’s most popular hero, he would also create several other series, including space adventurer Captaen Spéirling, western hero Réamonn Óg, and seafarer Captaen Toirneach, amongst other standalone publications. In January 1953, he began publishing the first comic strip series in Irish, An Eiteallán Dó-fheicthe, as part of Inniu magazine, where he became a regular contributor.
Ceaptar gur scríobh Ó Sándair timpeall 160 leabhar. Faraor, níor foilsíodh gach ceann acu sin. Tá Ó Sandair ar dhuine de na scríbhneoirí Gaeilge is mó díol riamh. Tá formhór de na foilseacháin seo mar chuid de Chartlann na gCanúintí. Cé gur scríbhneoir cáiliúil clúiteach é, le níos mó na 500,000 leabhar díolta, bhí post aige sa státseirbhís i rith an ama.
It is believed that Ó Sándair wrote 160 books, not all of which were published. His main publisher An Gúm lists 106 titles, of which the Irish Dialect Archive holds almost all. With over 500,000 total sales, Ó Sándair is one of the highest selling Irish-language writers of all time. Despite the success of the series, he worked in the Customs and Excise office to support his family.
In 1973, bhronn Uachtarán na hÉireann, Éamonn de Valera cnuasach leabhar ar Chartlann na gCanúintí chun 20 bliain den chartlann a chomóradh. Laistigh den chnuasach sin, maireann cnuasach de leabhair Uí Shándair, fórmhór dá fhoilseacháin ina measc.
The collection of Ó Sándair works held in the Irish Dialect Archive form part of a donation given by then President of Ireland, Éamonn de Valera in 1973 to mark the 20th anniversary of the archive’s founding.
Cailleadh Ó Sándair in 1996. Chun an lá ar rugadh é céad bhliain ó shin a chomóradh, tá taispeántas ar camchuairt timpeall na tíre, ‘Scéal Chathail Uí Shándair’. Chomh maith leis sin, tá a phríomh-fhoilsitheoir, An Gúm ag athfhoilsiú a chéad dhá leabhar i sraith Réics Carló, Na Mairbh a d’Fhill agus An tEitleán Do-fheicthe; tá ealaín na mbunchlúdach orthu agus iad sa chló agus sa litriú nua.
Ó Sándair passed in 1996. The 100th anniversary of his birth is currently being celebrated with a travelling exhibition Scéal Cathal Ó Sándair. An Gúm are also republishing Na Mairbh a d’Fhill and its sequel titled An tEitleán Dofheicthe with new versions of the original covers.
Aithnítear an tionchar a bhí ag Ó Sándair ar leabhair do pháistí agus do dhéagóirí le Gaeilge, cé go bhfuil cuid mhór dá leabhair as cló faoi láthair. Bronntar na Gradam Foilsitheoireachta ar shaothair agus ar fhoilsitheoirí a léiríonn scoth na foilsitheoireachta. Is é ainm an charactair ba cháilúila de chuid Uí Shándair a luaitear leis an duais i gcomhair Leabhar na Bliana don Léitheoir Óg: Gradam Réics Carló. Ainmneofar an buaiteoir nua don bhliain seo sa bhFómhar.
Ó Sándair’s impact on Irish language writing for young people has not been forgotten despite most of his catalogue currently being out of print. Na Gradam Foilsitheoireachta, award excellence in Irish language literature and publishing. The prize for children’s book of the year is aptly named after Ó Sándair’s most popular series – Gradam Réics Carló is in its sixth year with its winner to be announced in the autumn.
This post was written by Laura Ryan, Assistant Librarian, Collections, UCD Library.
Foinsí Breise/Further Reading:
Adams, Róisín. “Ag Foghlaim Ceirde: Foilseacháin an Ghúim Do Pháistí Óga, 1926-70.” Essay. In An Scéim: An Gúm, 1926-2016: Cnuasach Aistí, edited by Coilféir, Máirtín, 151–66. An Gúm, 2020.
Beathaisnéis Chathal Uí Shándair: https://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=1757
Biography of Cathal Ó Sándair: https://www.dib.ie/biography/o-sandair-cathal-a6434
Níos mó faoi Chartlann na gCanúintí/More on the Irish Dialect Archive: https://ucdculturalheritagecollections.com/2021/01/07/ag-cruthu-focloir-nua-what-it-takes-to-build-a-dictionary/