Dé Sathairn, 8ú Márta ag 3.30in i Scéal Eile Books léigh Máirtín Ó Catháin óna leabhar “Conamara agus Boston – Tríocha Bliain Anonn is Anall” mar céiliúradh Seachtain na Gaeilge 2014 agus Ennis BookClub Festival.
Join us in Scéal Eile Books this Saturday, 8th March at 3.30pm when Máirtín Ó Catháin will read from his book “Conamara agus Boston – Tríocha Bliain Anonn is Anall”.
Is iriseoir as Conamara é Máirtín ó Catháin. Tá cuairteanna go leor tugtha aige ar Mheiriceá in imeacht na mblianta agus go leor craolta agus scríofa aige faoin imirce – ábhar a bhfuil suim mhór phearsanta aige ann.
Tiocfaidh tú abhaile ar mo shochraid..”
Sin a dúirt athair Thomáis Uí Chonaire leis is é ag imeacht go Boston i 1984. Ba ar shochraid a athar a thug Tomás a chéad chuairt abhaile go Ros Muc seacht mbliana ina dhiadh sin. Ní fhéadfadh sé a theacht abhaile sna blianta roimhe sin; ní raibh stádas dlíthiúil aige i Meiriceá. Ba é an scéal céanna é ag na mílte Éireannach i mBoston san am sin.
Tá réimse mór de shaol an imirceora i mBoston tarraingthe anuas sa leabhar seo. Bunaítear an scéal ar shaol theaghlaigh mhuintir Chonaire as Ros Muc i gConamara – ach is é scéal mhuintir Chonaire scéal na mílte eile as pobail ar fud na Gaeltachta agus na hÉireann a chroch seolta go Meiriceá.
Tá saol mhuintir Chonaire fite fuaite sa leabhar seo a bhaineann leis na ceangail idir Conamara agus Boston ó aimsir na 1980idí i leith. Castar oibrithe, dornálaithe, fir iomraimh, peileadóirí, polaiteoirí agus coirpigh orainn, agus a lán eile nach iad.
Agus lag trá eacnamaíochta eile buailte linn, is mithid dúinn féachaint ar an gcuid sin de scéal mhuintir na hÉireann atá go smior sna cnámha ionainn. Óir is é scéal na himirce scéal na hÉireann.
Máirtín Ó Catháin
The book is written by journalist Máirtín Ó Catháin who has kept in close touch with Irish emigrants in Boston and in the United States. A Connemara native himself, Ó Catháin has a strong personal interest in emigration and has compiled radio programmes and written many articles on the subject.
His new book, written in the Irish language, covers extensively the west of Ireland emigrant experience in Boston – ranging from work to sport to politics and personal reminiscences and stories.
Connemara and Boston – Thirty Years Back and Forth
“You’ll come home to my funeral..”
These were the words uttered by his father to Tom Conroy as he left for Boston in 1984. Seven years later Tom Conroy made his first trip home from the United States since he left Ros Muc, a Gaelic speaking community in the Connemara area of west County Galway. It was to attend his father’s funeral. He could not visit home in the intervening years; he did not have legal status in the United States. He was in the same boat as thousands of emigrants from Ireland at that time.
Conamara agus Boston – Tríocha Bliain Anonn agus Anall is based on the story of Connemara emigrants and the life of a young man and his family who thrived in a new country – but with the ever present shades of exile in their lives. It is the story of many families and communities encapsulated in the experiences of the Conroy’s from Ros Muc in Connemara.