Seanchaí ag innsint a Sgéil (Seanchaí (traditional Irish story-teller) telling his Story).
Item
Title
Seanchaí ag innsint a Sgéil (Seanchaí (traditional Irish story-teller) telling his Story).
Identifier
VHS0001
Depiction
A man with his pipe seated on a chair facing a fireplace.
Description
An undated laminated Irish Independent photograph of Seán Rua Ó Beaglaoich of Gort an Chaltha (near Mionloch), Co. na Gaillimhe taking part in the Comórtas Scéalaíochta (storytelling competition) of Oireachtas na Gaeilge at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. The performance of the Seanchaí is, in order to make the environment more authentic, staged against the simulated background of a traditional Irish open fireside, including a fire crane and pot hooks for cooking potatoes etc in pots over the fire, as well as what appears to be a fire burning brightly. The Seanchaí is, again appropriately, seated on a traditional súgán (straw-rope) chair.
Seán was employed by the University from 1949 to 1955 as a Seanchaí, following the death of Pádraic Ó Meadhra, the first Seanchaí (1932-48), to give six one-hour classes weekly during the Session. Before being allowed to enter any University or College examination, students had to have attended a Conversation Class in Irish in the College for one hour a week in each week in the preceding Session, and all degree examination candidates (except those with Irish as a degree subject) had to have passed an oral examination in Irish by the University Examiners in Irish and demonstrated the ability to converse in Irish on ordinary subjects before presenting for examination. In that connection, Conversation Classes in Irish were conducted by native speakers of Irish, such as Seán, under the direction of of the Professor of, and the Assistants in, Irish for 17 hours each week during the Session. / Grianghraf lannaithe de chuid an Irish Independent de Sheán Rua Ó Beaglaoich ó Ghort an Chaltha (gar do Mhionloch), Co. na Gaillimhe agus é mar iomaitheoir sa Chomórtas Scéalaíochta ag Oireachtas na Gaeilge in Amharclann na Mainistreach, Baile Átha Cliath. Bhí Seán fostaithe ag an Ollscoil ó 1949 go 1955 mar Sheanchaí, i gcomharbacht ar Pháraic Ó Meadhra, an chéad Sheanchaí (1932-48). Bhí air sé rang, uair an chloig an ceann, a thabhairt gach seachtain ar feadh an tSeisiúin. Ní raibh de chead ag mic léinn cur isteach ar aon Scrúdú Ollscoile nó Coláiste gan freastal a bheith déanta acu ar ranganna Comhrá uair an chloig sa tseachtain i rith an tSeisiúin roimh an Scrúdú, agus ní raibh de chead ag mic léinn (seachas iad siúd a raibh Gaeilge mar ábhar céime acu) cur isteach ar a scrúdú céime murar éirigh leo roimh ré i scrúdú béil ag Scrúdaitheoirí Gaeilge na hOllscoile agus murar léiríodar go rabhadar in ann labhairt i nGaeilge ar nithe coitianta. Maidir leis sin, bhi Ranganna Comhrá sa Ghaeilge ar siúl ar feadh seacht n-uaireanta déag sa tseachtain i rith an tSeisiúin agus cainteoirí dúchais ar nós Sheáin ina mbun, faoi cheannas Ollamh na Nua-Ghaeilge agus Cúntóirí na Gaeilge.
Seán was employed by the University from 1949 to 1955 as a Seanchaí, following the death of Pádraic Ó Meadhra, the first Seanchaí (1932-48), to give six one-hour classes weekly during the Session. Before being allowed to enter any University or College examination, students had to have attended a Conversation Class in Irish in the College for one hour a week in each week in the preceding Session, and all degree examination candidates (except those with Irish as a degree subject) had to have passed an oral examination in Irish by the University Examiners in Irish and demonstrated the ability to converse in Irish on ordinary subjects before presenting for examination. In that connection, Conversation Classes in Irish were conducted by native speakers of Irish, such as Seán, under the direction of of the Professor of, and the Assistants in, Irish for 17 hours each week during the Session. / Grianghraf lannaithe de chuid an Irish Independent de Sheán Rua Ó Beaglaoich ó Ghort an Chaltha (gar do Mhionloch), Co. na Gaillimhe agus é mar iomaitheoir sa Chomórtas Scéalaíochta ag Oireachtas na Gaeilge in Amharclann na Mainistreach, Baile Átha Cliath. Bhí Seán fostaithe ag an Ollscoil ó 1949 go 1955 mar Sheanchaí, i gcomharbacht ar Pháraic Ó Meadhra, an chéad Sheanchaí (1932-48). Bhí air sé rang, uair an chloig an ceann, a thabhairt gach seachtain ar feadh an tSeisiúin. Ní raibh de chead ag mic léinn cur isteach ar aon Scrúdú Ollscoile nó Coláiste gan freastal a bheith déanta acu ar ranganna Comhrá uair an chloig sa tseachtain i rith an tSeisiúin roimh an Scrúdú, agus ní raibh de chead ag mic léinn (seachas iad siúd a raibh Gaeilge mar ábhar céime acu) cur isteach ar a scrúdú céime murar éirigh leo roimh ré i scrúdú béil ag Scrúdaitheoirí Gaeilge na hOllscoile agus murar léiríodar go rabhadar in ann labhairt i nGaeilge ar nithe coitianta. Maidir leis sin, bhi Ranganna Comhrá sa Ghaeilge ar siúl ar feadh seacht n-uaireanta déag sa tseachtain i rith an tSeisiúin agus cainteoirí dúchais ar nós Sheáin ina mbun, faoi cheannas Ollamh na Nua-Ghaeilge agus Cúntóirí na Gaeilge.
People
Seán Rua Ó Beaglaoich
References
UCG Calendar, 1953-54.
Contributor
event
Oireachtas Storytelling Competition / Comórtas Scéalaíochta Oireachtas na Gaeilge.
Bibliographic Citation
N. Mac Congáil, S. Mac Mathúna, 'Seanchaí ag innsint a Sgéil (Seanchaí (traditional Irish storyteller) telling his Story)', Visual History Retired Staff Collection, University of Galway Digital Collections, Asset Id 13838, Archival Record Id VHRS
Text in image
Sean Ruadh O Beaglaoich, of Gort an Chaltha, Co. na Gaillimhe, tells his story as he sits at the fire at the Oireachtas Story Telling Competition at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
- Irish Independent Photo. (R.).
- Irish Independent Photo. (R.).
Spatial Coverage
Temporal Coverage
Period
1940s
1950s
1950s
Category
b&w
portrait
off-campus
indoors.
portrait
off-campus
indoors.
Subject
Language
English
Irish
Irish
Creator
Unknown Irish Independent photographer
Publisher
University of Galway Library
Rights
This image may be used for non-commercial purposes under CC BY-NC-SA see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Photographic credit: Irish Independent. For any intended re-use, permission must be obtained from the Irish Independent.
Photographic credit: Irish Independent. For any intended re-use, permission must be obtained from the Irish Independent.
Provenance
Copy of Irish Independent photograph retrieved from the archives of Oifig an Rúnaí and digitised by Séamus Mac Mathúna for the Visual History Retired Staff Collection in 2023