Tá an phostáil seo mar chuid dár Scéim Tionscnaimh Taighde do 2024-2025. 

This post is part of our Research Initiation Scheme for 2024-2025. 

[ENGLISH TEXT PROVIDED BELOW] 

Ar Dé Céadaoin 29 Márta, thug an Dr Radvan Markus caint faoina chuid taighde ar an úrscéal Gaelach is cáiliúla, Cré na Cille, a scríobh Máirtín Ó Cadhain in 1949. Is léachtóir sinsearach sa Ghaeilge é an Dr Markus in Ollscoil Shéarlas i bPrág. Saineolaí i litríocht nua-aoiseach na Gaeilge is ea é agus d’aistrigh sé Cré na Cille ó Gaeilge go Seicis.  

Ag tús an léachta, mhínigh an Dr Markus gur dá phobal féin a bhí an Cadhnach ag scríobh ach gur aistríodh Cré na Cille go trí theanga dhéag. Dar le Markus go bhfaightear téamaí uilíocha sa scéal agus gur sin an fáth go bhfuil an scéal so-aistrithe go teangacha eile agus go cultúir eile. Níor foilsíodh leagan Béarla de Chré na Cille le linn bheatha an Chadhnaigh de bharr na ndeacrachtaí a bhí ag an bhfoilsitheoir teacht ar aistritheoir, ach rinneadh dhá aistriúchán Béarla air i ndiaidh a bháis: The Dirty Dust (2015) le hAlan Titley agus The Graveyard Clay (2016) le Liam Mac Con Iomaire agus Tim Robinson. Dúirt Markus go mbunaítear cuid de na haistriúcháin go teangacha eile ar leaganacha Titley agus Mhic Con Iomaire agus Robinson agus n’fheadar cé chomh cruinn is atá na nathanna cainte sna leaganacha sin.  

De réir an Dr Markus is scéal ciclipéideach anordúil é Cré na Cille a léiríonn scéal Chonamara, scéal na hÉireann agus scéal na nÉireannach. Ach is scéal sothuighte do léitheoirí ar fud na hEorpa é freisin. Cuireann an scéal dearcadh na dtuathánach in iúl go soiléir don léitheoir: an chúlchaint, an tsíorsáraíocht, agus an t-éad. D’áitigh sé gur carachtar uilíoch í an príomhcharachtar Caitríona Pháidín ar féidir a macasamhla a aimsiú i gcultúir dhomhanda éagsúla, cuir i gcás cultúr na Seice.  

Dá neamhghnáiche an t-úrscéal, tá roinnt cosúlachtaí idir Cré na Cille agus saothair cheannródaíocha ar nós Ulysses le James Joyce agus The Divine Comedy le Dante. Is scéal carnabhalach é Cré na Cille dar le Markus, a bhaineann an bonn den rud a shamhlaítear údarás leis agus a cheangalaíonn bás agus beatha san idirfhásach meitifisiciúil atá mar shuíomh don úrscéal.  

Chríochnaigh Markus a chaint ag labhairt ar thábhacht an tsaolré i saothar Uí Chadhain: diúltaíonn Cré na Cille don eantrópacht agus leanann na carachtair ar fad orthu ag sáraíocht go síoraí. Léacht fhíorshuimiúil a bhí i léacht Markus a nocht tábhacht an Chadhnaigh i gcomhthéacs idirnáisiúnta agus a nocht dúinn ar fad gur chóir go mbeadh níos mó measa air i ngar don bhaile, meas a léiríodh ar mhórscríbhneoirí an Bhéarla in Éirinn le céad bliain anuas. 

English: 

On Wednesday 29 March, Dr Radvan Markus gave a lecture on his research on Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s 1949 magnum opus Cré na Cille. Radvan Markus is a senior lecturer in Irish at Charles University in Prague. He is an expert in modern Irish literature and has translated Cré na Cille from Irish to his native Czech.  

To begin his lecture, Dr Markus explained that Ó Cadhain had never intended to write for any audience except his own native Irish-speaking community but that his masterpiece has now been translated into thirteen languages. Markus described how the universal themes of the story makes it easily read in languages with different cultures. Ó Cadhain’s celebrated novel was never published in English during his lifetime, but two English versions of Cré na Cille have more recently been released: The Dirty Dust (2015) by Alan Titley andThe Graveyard Clay (2016) by Liam Mac Con Iomaire and Tim Robinson. The English versions now serve as the primary text for many of the translations of the text to other languages, raising questions about the accuracy of the translations of Ó Cadhain’s rich idiomatic speech.  

According to Dr Markus the story is an encyclopedic narrative that captures the experience of Conamara, Ireland, and the Irish. The story, however, is easily understood among readers from cultures across Europe and the peasants’ bickering, gossiping, and jealousy easily translates. Caitríona Pháidín, the story’s main character, has a universality to her outbursts that resembles a Conamara woman in speech alone, but the ferocity of her resentment resonates with cultures worldwide.   

Although a unique novel, similarities to Cré na Cille can be found in Ulysses by James Joyce and Dante’s Divine Comedy which are both encyclopedic in nature. Cré na Cille is a carnivalesque novel that attempts to lower that which is noble or authoritative; it connects life and death through the metaphysical space in which the work is set.  

Dr Markus finished his lecture by discussing the importance of the life cycle in Ó Cadhain’s work. The novel’s characters reject entropy and instead continue to bicker and argue for eternity. Markus’ lecture was fascinating as it revealed the importance of one of Ireland’s best writers within an international context and illuminated that Ó Cadhain still awaits the respect afforded to great Irish writers of English.  

Write-up by Josh Cotter, final-year undergraduate in Irish and International Relations 

Tuairisc le Josh Mac Coitir, mac léinn i mbliain na céime atá ag déanamh staidéir ar an Ghaeilge agus ar an Chaidreamh Idirnáisiúnta. 

Editor’s note: The Emerging Voices in Modern Languages Lecture is a new initiative of the Modern Languages Core Disciplinary Research Group in 2024-2025 that aims to celebrate the work of scholars who may not previously have given a plenary or keynote lecture and provide a forum for the latest thinking in Modern Languages research. It is expected that the lecture will take place annually in December/January. 

Nóta ón eagarthóir: Is tionscnamh de chuid an Ghrúpa Taighde Croí-Disciplíneach é an Léacht do Ghuthanna Nua sna Nuatheangacha ar cuireadh tús leis sa bhliain 2024-2025; féachann an tionscnamh le ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar shaothar le scoláirí nach raibh deis acu go dtí seo mórsheisiún nó aoichaint a thabhairt agus cuireann sé fóram ar fáil don taighde is úire sna Nuatheangacha. Táthar ag súil go mbeidh an léacht ar siúl gach bliain i mí na Nollag/mí Eanáir.