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ICUF scholar, Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh, recently launched his first book, ‘Focail agus Foclóireacht O’Neill Lane’ (Coiscéim, 2014) in Québec. Seaghan is currently on an ICUF scholarship teaching in Concordia University in Montreal, Québec.

English below

Ba é Lane’s Larger English-Irish Dictionary / Foclóir Béarla- Gaedhilge (1916) an chéad mhórfhoclóir a foilsíodh sa bhfichiú haois. Fear suaithinseach éirimiúil agus duine de na pearsana is suimiúla ó aimsir Athbheochan na Gaeilge ab ea an té a chuir an foclóir le chéile; ba é sin Timothy O’ Neill Lane ó Theampall an Ghleanntáin, (1852 – 1915).

Fear ab ea é seo a d’fhág a chontae dúchais le dul go Londain mar a raibh sé ina iriseoir ar feadh tamaill. Scríobh sé sraith leabhar taistil le Sasanaigh shaibhre a mhealladh go hÉirinn lena saoire a chaitheamh, agus seoladh ina dhiaidh sin é go Páras na Fraince mar chomhfhreagraí i gcomhair The Times. Ghabh sé go dícheallach dá thogra foclóireachta go dtí an lá deiridh dár mhair sé, agus go deimhin, tá an chuma ar an scéal gurbh é an rud deiridh ar fad a dhein sé ná a ainm a chur le cóip dá fhoclóir a bhain Iarthar Luimnigh amach ar an oíche roimh bhás dó.

B’éacht uaidh a fhoclóir a chur i gcrích, ach beagnach céad bliain ina dhiaidh sin, agus isteach sa tríú mílaois, bhí a fhoclóir ligthe i ndearmad ag pobal na Gaeilge. Ba ar an tuiscint sin a thug Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh faoi ‘Focail agus Foclóireacht O’Neill Lane’ (Coiscéim, 2014) a scríobh; aird a tharraingt ar T. O’Neill Lane agus ar an bhfoclóir seoigh a d’fhág sé againn mar sheoid chorrmhéineach ó thréimhse Athbheochan na Gaeilge. Tháinig roinnt mhaith cóipeanna d’fhoclóir O’Neill Lane go Ceanada an t-am úd.

Pléann leabhar Sheaghain leis an bhfoclóir agus le saol an té a scríobh, agus is é anois an chéad leabhar Gaeilge a seoladh i Québec.

‘Lane’s Larger English-Irish Dictionary’ (1916) was the first full-size Irish dictionary in the 20th century, conceived of, and written by, a talented and eccentric man called T. O’Neill Lane (1852-1915) of Templeglantine, Co. Limerick. O’Neill Lane went from West Limerick to London and there went from shorthand writer to accredited journalist.

He published a series of travel guides presenting Ireland as an attractive destination for affluent English holidaymakers, and was afterwards sent to France to perform the office of Parisian correspondent with The Times. He worked continually on his dictionary project through his remarkable career, and his very last act in life, it seems, was to sign a copy of his dictionary which had made it from the printers to West Limerick just in time.

However, almost one hundred years later, few outside the domain of Irish language studies have heard his name, let alone having seen one of the couple of thousand copies of his dictionary in circulation worldwide. Seaghan Mac an tSionnaigh’s very first book, ‘Focail agus Foclóireacht T. O’Neill Lane’, published by Coiscéim, recently had the honour of also becoming the first book written in Irish to be launched in Québec.

Seaghan’s book narrates the life of the Limerick lexicographer whose tale has until now remained a mystery to Irish language studies. He also details reasons for the near dismissal of O’ Neill Lane’s labour of love since its original publication, taking care to give more reasons for why we should reacquaint ourselves with this important document from the Gaelic Revival period.