The Peadar Ó Laoghaire Archive

Repository: Maynooth University Library

Identity Statement

TitleThe Peadar Ó Laoghaire Archive
Archive ReferenceIE MU/PP3
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/peadar-o-laoghaire-archive
Creation Dates1894-1936
Extent Medium387 items

Context

Creator(s): Ó Laoghaire, Peadar, 1894-1936, Catholic priest and writer

  • Administrative History ↴

    Peadar Ó Laoghaire (Peter O' Leary), was born in the Gaeltacht in Liscarrigane, County Cork in April 1839 and died on 21 March 1920. He was a Catholic priest who studied for the priesthood in Maynooth and was ordained in 1867. He was a member of the Gaelic League. Ó Laoghaire had a passion for two main things: Catholicism as fundamentally ingrained in Irish identity; and the Irish language. He was very concerned with the autonomy of the Irish people from the British, and this fuelled his dislike of Protestantism and the English language. He was also a great believer in the purity of the Irish language, and very critical of the invention of new words by scholars, as he deemed these to be unnatural and offensive to native speakers. Ó Laoghaire wrote novels, articles and essays, translating and publishing works in modern Irish over a period of 25 years. His publications include an autobiography (Mo scéal féin), treatises on Irish grammar and translations of the gospels and the Old Testament.
  • Archival History ↴

    The collection was deposited with Maynooth University Library in 2014.
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Permanent Loan

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Ó Laoghaire, Peadar, 1894-1936, Catholic priest and writer ↴

    The writings in this collection cover literary, religious and grammatical materials. The collection has been arranged into these three topics. It contains drafts of works published in Irishleabhar na Gaedhilge, The Cork Weekly Examiner, Irish Voices, An Crann and The Irish Rosary. Documents of note include Ó Laoghaire’s translations of books of the Old Testament into Irish and his lives of the Irish Saints.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Arrangement ↴

    PP3/1 Literary Writings
    PP3/1/1 Séadna
    PP3/1/2 Essays, Articles and Dialogues
    PP3/1/3 Don Quixote Irish Translation
    PP3/1/4 Ancient Greek to Irish Translations
    PP3/1/5 Gaelic Irish Literature
    PP3/1/6 Loose Pages
    PP3/1/7 Gaelic League Meeting

    PP3/2 Religious Writings
    PP3/2/1 Bible Translation
    PP3/2/2 ‘Sgéalaídheacht as an mBíobla Naomhtha’
    PP3/2/3 ‘Sgéalaídheacht na Macabéach’
    PP3/2/4 ‘Sgéalaídheacht i dTaobh Eóin Mhic Shimoinn a’ Íosephgs’
    PP3/2/5 Saints’ Lives
    PP3/2/6 Essays, Articles and Sermons
    PP3/2/7 Songs and Prayers
    PP3/2/8 Letters
    PP3/2/9 Loose Pages

    PP3/3 Grammatical Material

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Open to students of Maynooth University and Saint Patrick's College Maynooth. Open to external readers by appointment. Please contact: library.specialcollections@nuim.iePlease see our website for Reading Room opening hours.
Conditions Governing ReproductionBy application
Creation Dates1894-1936
Extent Medium387 items
Material Language ScriptIrish, English
Finding Aids Descriptive List Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

There are no Allied Materials

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteM van der Molen
Rules/ConventionsIGAD: Irish Guidelines for Archival Description, Dublin Society of Archivists, Ireland, 2009.ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description, 2nd ed., Ottowa, International Council on Archives, 2000.
Date of DescriptionsDecember 2016