Tá eolas ar fáil anseo ar an gcaoi a bhfuil an bailiúchán fíorspéisiúil ach ollmhór seo leagtha amach, agus tugann sé léargas ar an raon leathan ábhar atá ann. Cliceáil ar an táb Sraitheanna chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil faoi shraitheanna faoi leith. 

Here you can discover how material in this wonderful but mammoth collection is arranged, and get a sense of the wide range of material it contains. For more information on individual series please click on the Series tab.

Isteach is amach le 125 bliain d’ábhar atá i gceist leis an mbailiúchán, ar tréimhse í sin a thosaigh in 1893 agus a mhair síos chomh fada le 2018 nuair a ghlac OÉ Gaillimh seilbh air. Bhog an Conradh a cheanncheathrú sé huaire i rith na tréimhse sin, agus bhí 32 uachtarán aige faoinar cuimsíodh 35 téarma. Stóráladh ábhar i roinnt suíomhanna, a n-áirítear leis sin stóráil sheachtrach, agus ní raibh aon struchtúr faoi leith air.  

Cuireadh eagar ar an mbailiúchán mar sin agus tá sé roinnte ina thrí chuid anois a bhfuil 45 shraith san iomlán ann.

Cuimsíonn an chéad chuid (sraitheanna 1 – 13) an eagraíocht féin agus struchtúr na heagraíochta agus áirítear leis tuarascálacha bliantúla, doiciméid pholasaí, comhaid fostaithe, ábhar riaracháin, ábhar airgeadais, foilseacháin, miontuairiscí na hArd-Fheise, ábhar Caidrimh Phoiblí mar aon le hábhar a tháinig ó chraobhacha agus coistí éagsúla. Baineann an dara cuid (sraitheanna 14 – 21) leis na healaíona agus leis an gcultúr go ginearálta, agus áirítear leis comórtais bhliantúla an Oireachtais, féilte in Éirinn agus thar lear, ceol, spórt, drámaíocht agus litríocht. Ábhar taighde den chuid is mó atá san áireamh sa tríú cuid (sraitheanna 22 - 45) agus áirítear léi páipéir Dhonncha Uí Shúilleabháin agus Ghiolla Críost Ó Broin agus ábhar a bhaineann le Pádraig Mac Piarais, Tuaisceart Éireann, an pholaitíocht, ranna Rialtais agus cuideachtaí chomh maith le bailiúchán Bertie Troy*. Tá sraith chuimsitheach ann freisin a bhaineann leis na feachtais éagsúla a raibh baint ag an eagraíocht leo.  

Bíodh is go bhfuil na scórtha bliain san áireamh sa bhailiúchán seo, ó uair bhunaithe na heagraíochta in 1893 anuas go dtí 2018 nuair a fuarthas an bailiúchán, tá bearnaí nach beag sa bhailiúchán. Ar an gcéad dul síos, is ó cheanncheathrú na heagraíochta a tháinig an t-ábhar atá faighte againn. Is féidir talamh slán a dhéanamh de go bhfuil lear mór ábhar i seilbh na gcraobhacha féin, agus i seilbh muintir iarbhaill an Chonartha. Anuas air sin, bhronn Conradh na Gaeilge roinnt páipéar ar an Leabharlann Náisiúnta am éigin sna 1940í. Gach seans go bhfuil cóipeanna de roinnt den ábhar sin sa bhailiúchán seo.

Teanga: is i nGaeilge atá bunáit ábhar an bhailiúcháin, ach tá ábhar i mBéarla ann chomh maith, lena n-áirítear preaseisiúintí, gearrtháin nuachtáin agus comhfhreagras. Rinne caighdeánú ar litriú na Gaeilge sna 1950í agus tá go leor leaganacha litrithe d’fhocail dá bharr sin san ábhar ón tréimhse roimh an gcaighdeánú.  Úsáidtear an litriú nua ar mhaithe le comhsheasmhacht, agus tugtar leaganacha níos sine nuair is gá (e.g. Connradh na Gaedhilge [Conradh na Gaeilge]). Thiomsaigh an eagraíocht méid bheag ábhar i roinnt teangacha eile chun críche taighde a dhéanamh ar an gcaoi ar caitheadh leis na mionteangacha sin agus lena bpobail agus ar úsáid na dteangacha sin.

*I mí Feabhra 2018, rinne Roger Troy teagmháil le Conradh na Gaeilge agus chuir sé in iúl don eagraíocht go raibh páipéir aige ar mian leis iad a bhronnadh ar Chonradh na Gaeilge, ar an gcoinníoll go n-ainmneofaí an bailiúchán in onóir a athar, Bertie. San áireamh sna páipéir sin, bhí comhfhreagras idir an tAthair Peadar Ua Laoghaire agus Eoin Mac Néill, i measc daoine eile.  

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The material comprises approximately 125 years of material spanning the period from 1893 to the acquisition of the collection by NUIG in 2018. During this period Conradh headquarters moved six times, and had 32 presidents covering 35 terms. Material was stored in several locations including offsite storage, and had no discernible arrangement. 

As a result an arrangement was imposed on the collection. This comprises three main sections totalling 45 series.

The first section (series 1 – 13) covers the organisation itself and its structure and includes annual reports, policy documents, employee files, administration material, finance material, publications, Ard Fheis [annual congress] minutes, PR and material from various branches and committees.
The second series (series 14 – 21) relates to Arts and Culture in general and includes the annual Oireachtas competition, festivals both in Ireland and abroad, music, sport, drama and literature. The final section (series 22 - 45) broadly relates to research including the papers of Donncha Ó Súilleabháin and Giolla Críost Ó Broin and material relating to Patrick Pearse, Northern Ireland, politics, Government departments, businesses and the Bertie Troy collection*. It also contains an extensive series relating to various campaigns involving the organisation.

While this collection spans several decades from the foundation of the organisation in 1893 to the acquisition of the collection in 2018, there are notable gaps in the collection. Firstly the material which has been received is from the headquarters of the organisation. It can be safely assumed that much material still rests with the individual branches, and families of former members. In addition a donation of papers by Conradh na Gaeilge was made to the National Library at some stage in the 1940s. It is possible that some of that material is duplicated here.

Language: the material in this collection is predominantly in Irish, but also includes material in English including press releases, newspaper cuttings and correspondence. Irish language material consists of both pre and post standardisation of the language (1950s) and many variations of spelling exist throughout as a result. For the purposes of consistency modern spelling is used with older versions also listed where necessary (eg Connradh na Gaedhilge [Conradh na Gaeilge]). A small proportion of material in several other languages was gathered by the organisation for research purposes into the treatment, use and perception of minority languages and their communities.

*In February 2018 Conradh na Gaeilge was approached by Roger Troy who had papers including correspondence between an tAthair Peadar [Ua Laoghaire / Fr Peter O’Leary] and Eoin MacNeill among others, which he wished to donate to Conradh na Gaeilge on the proviso the collection be named after his father, Bertie.