THE Silver Tongue of Munster is soon to be celebrated more than two hundred years after his death in his native parish of Kilmeen and Castleventry.
BY JACKIE KEOGH
Local historian Dan O’Leary told The Southern Star that Seán Ó Coileáin, (c. 1754-1817), who was known as ‘the silver tongue of Munster,’ was a poet, historian and teacher whose life and works are not as well-known as they should be, even though he had connections with Skibbereen, Drinagh, Myross, Union Hall and Timoleague, as well as Kilmeen.
It is believed he was born in the townland of Lisnabrinna, near Ballygurteen, spent his childhood, following his father’s early death, with his mother’s people in Derryclough, Drinagh, and studied briefly in an Irish College in Portugal.
He spent most of his life in Myross parish, Union Hall, where he was a teacher, but returned to his native parish to be buried. Today, a Celtic cross marks his grave in the Old Cemetery in Kilmeen.
To honour the contribution he made culturally Dr Bláthnaid Uí Chatháin will deliver a lecture on the life and written works of Seán Ó Coileáin at 8pm at the Bealad Community Centre, on Friday September 19th.
According to Dan O’Leary, a local historian and one of the organisers of this event, ‘it will be a unique cultural, literary and historic event that should be of interest to many people not only in the writer’s native parish, but all of West Cork.
Bláthnaid UÍ Chatháin, who has a doctoral thesis on the Gaelic poetry of Carbery (1750-1850), continues to research the Gaelic poetry of the area.
Her interest in this tradition was greatly influenced by her grandfather, Peadar Ó hAnnracháin from Skibbereen, who was one of the first Gaelic League language organisers appointed to Munster in 1901.
Following her lecture, Pádraig Mac Cárthaig will then give a brief talk about his new book Seoda Na Sean, Irish Songs c. 1650-1850, from Carbery, Muskerry and across South Munster,’ which includes two CDs of the featured songs.
Attendees will be treated to Pádraig’s rendition of one of Seán Ó Coileáin’s most well-known and beautifully crafted songs, the famous ‘aisling’, An Buachaill Bán, a patriotic song, as well as a few other songs of local interest.
Pádraig Mac Cárthaig was born and raised in Cork on a small farm on the edge of the city. His father and several generations of McCarthy have their ancestral family roots in Garralacka, near Sam’s Cross, in Rosscarbery parish.
He is a retired lecturer in the School of Physics UCC, but has always been immersed in traditional music and singing. It was an interest he developed as a university student in the 1970s, and during the time he spent in County Clare in the early 80s.
His knowledge and appreciation of sean-nós singing developed while attending weekly meetings of Acadamh Fódhla in Baile Bhuirne under the stewardship of Peadar Ó Riada.
Pádraig has researched 18th and 19th century collections of Munster Irish language poetry intensely and also acknowledges the very generous assistance he has received from friends and colleagues in the School of Irish Learning UCC, in developing a deeper appreciation of the lyricism in the songs in Irish. Many of these have been recorded for the first time and come on the double CD that is included with the book.
