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An tAthair Colmán Ó hUallacháin

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Headshot portrait of a man

An tAthair Colmán Ó hUallacháin (1922-79), a Franciscan priest, was a pioneering figure in linguistics in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s. A UCG BA graduate in 1949 (as Liam M. Ua hUallacháin - Colmán was his name in religion), his early focus was Philosophy, completing his doctoral thesis in Louvain on the medieval Franciscan philosopher John Duns Scotus, and he lectured on Philosophy trí Ghaeilge here (1953-56) and published Foclóir Fealsaimh in introduced to Ireland the principles and methods of modern linguistics, and propagated their application to the teaching of Irish and other languages, and to the acquisition of language skills by native English-speakers (especially those with language-related disabilities). Appointed adviser on linguistics to the minister for education (c.1962), he catalysed the development in Gormanston college of a language centre, An Teanglann – one of the first of its kind in Ireland – and became its director (1964). The centre conducted research relevant to language teaching, and trained teachers in linguistic theory and audio-visual methodology. He initiated basic linguistic research in both spoken Irish and English as spoken in Ireland, involving analysis of questionnaires and of tape-recorded conversation, and constructed a ‘language minimum’ of vocabulary, morphology, and syntax necessary for effective communication within various age groups, thereby facilitating development of appropriate programmes of instruction based on the language as actually spoken. The research resulted in the launch of Buntús Gaeilge, a basic audio-visual course for primary schools (1966), and an RTÉ radio and television course in conversational Irish, ‘Buntús cainte’ (1967–8)

Séamus Mac Mathúna

S. Mac Mathúna, 'An tAthair Colmán Ó hUallacháin', Visual History Retired Staff Collection, University of Galway Digital Collections, Asset Id 14526, Archival Record Id  VHRS

b&w
portrait

Gaeilge
Linguistics

English
Irish

University of Galway Library

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