This article is from page 18 of the 2014-09-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CLARE has lost its greatest champion of the Irish language after the death over the weekend of Seán Ó Ceallaigh after a short illness.
Eighty-year-old Mr Ó Ceallaigh, who hailed from Connolly, was immersed in Irish language affairs in Clare and nationally for over 60 years and has been described as “a guiding light” and “inspiration” for language enthusiasts around the county.
“There isn’t an Irish language group in the county that he wasn’t involved in,” fellow language activist Domhnall Ó Loinsigh told The Clare People this week.
“Anything you care to mention with regard to the Irish language in Clare, Séan Ó Ceallaigh was there. He is going to be a huge loss because he was a huge inspiration and a motivator. He had the ability to inspire other people to become involved. He was an enthusiast and had a phenomenal love for the language. Everything he did was as Gaeilge and led by example,” he added.
Mr Ó Ceallaigh was active in Con- radh na Gaeilge in Clare for over 60 years, while his imprint of work was also felt in a host of organisations at both local and national level through the decades.
At the time of his death on Sunday, Mr Ó Ceallaigh was president of Conradh na Gaeilge in Clare, chairman of An Clár as Gaeilge and national president of Féile Scoil Dramaíochta.
He was also a founder member of Féile na hInse, chairman of Glór na nGael, while also being involved in the establishment of both Gaelscoil Mhichíl and Gaelcholáiste an Chláir.
“Séan was part of every initiative in the county over the last 50 years and more to promote Irish as a community language,” continued Mr Ó Loinsigh.
“And he was important on a national level as the author of two very important books – one on an tAthair Eoin Ó Gramhnaigh and the other on Eamonn Mac Giolla Iasachta. His inf uence spread far outside the county. “His motto and aspiration was that despite there was fantastic work being done in schools with the language, it was to take Irish out of the classroom and onto the street, into the shops, the pubs, the workplaces and the homes. He worked for that all his life,” he added.