This translation of a collection of short stories by Pádhraic Ó Conaire will be of some benefit to those interested in the Irish language. The first part is in Irish, written in the Old Irish (Gaelic) script, as it was published in 1919. The translation is in the modern English script.
Generations will remember M'Asal Beag Dubh from their childhood when it was on the school curriculum.
It conjures up happy memories of innocent childhood and the joy of playing freely in open spaces during school holidays.
Ó Conaire wrote Irish as it was spoken. He paid scant attention to formal grammatical structures. He wrote about current issues like poverty, emigration, failed marriages and loneliness.
His writing gave a new direction and relevance to Irish literature by appealing to a broader and younger audience.
Pádhraic Ó Conaire was born in Galway in 1882 during a turbulent period in Irish history.
His work is considered to be amongst the earliest example of modern fiction in the Irish language.
He wrote over 400 short stories, 237 essays, 6 plays and 27 books.
M'Asal Beag Dubh was first published in The Weekly Freeman in 1917.
It was also included in the short story collection An Crann Geagach, first published in 1919.
Ó Conaire died in poverty in 1928.