Learaid a rinne Jack B. Yeats don leabhair 'Ceachta beaga Gaedhilge' Ta an raiteas seo a leanas faoin learaid; "Ta bhur sicin sa tsligh orm."
Ealaiontoir
,
scribhneoir
agus gniomhai
Gaeilge
[1]
ab ea
Mariella Norma Borthwick
(
25 Iuil
1862
?
13 Meitheamh
1934
). Rugadh in Highfield, Higher Bebington,
Chester
Sasana
i, ach
Albanach
ab ea i, dar lei fein.
Ar 25 luil 1862 a rugadh i i Highfield,
Higher Bebington
,
Chester
. George Borthwick, fear gno (“General merchant” ata ar theastas breithe Norma, ce go luaitear broicearacht billi leis ina theastas posta) a hathair agus ba i Mary Elizabeth MacDonald as Dun Eideann a mathair. Mariella Norma a hainmneacha baiste; ainm cumaisc e ‘Mariella’, e bunaithe ar ‘Mary Elizabeth’. Dearthair da sin-seanmhathair, Mary Elizabeth eile, an Alan MacDonald on Oilean Sciathanach in Albain a phos Flora MacDonald. Uncail do Norma ba ea Sir John MacDonald, Lord Kingsburgh, a bhi ina Lord Justice-Clerk ar Albain o 1888 go 1915. Dar le Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge (Meitheamh 1897) gur neacht i Norma le Sir Algernon Borthwick, an chead Bharun Glenesk, eagarthoir agus uineir an Morning Post. Dhealrodh go raibh gaol aici leis nuair nar shean si an tuairisc sin ach is leir on gcuntas ar dhearthaireacha Lord Glenesk in Lord Glenesk and the Morning Post (1910) nar dhearthair da hathair e.
Rugadh Mariella Norma Borthwick i Highfield,
Higher Bebington
,
Chester
, ar an 25u Iuil 1862. Ceann de chuig inionacha agus triur mac an cheannai George Borthwick agus Mary Elizabeth Borthwick (nee MacDonald) ba ea i. Ce gur i Sasana a rugadh i, mheas Borthwick i fein mar Albanach de bhunadh na n
Gael
. In aois linbh leirigh si speis ar leith i
gcultur na hEireann
, agus d'fhoghlaim si
Gaeilge
sa 'Southwark Literary Society', i Southwark, Londain.
Is de reir dheasghnatha na hEaglaise Caitlici agus Aspalda, a bunaiodh timpeall 1832, a posadh tuismitheoiri Norma. Rugadh ochtar clainne doibh, cuigear inionacha agus triur mac.
An chead eolas cinnte fuithi in Eirinn go raibh si sa lathair i nGaoth Dobhair nuair a dishealbhaiodh tionontai ar eastat Olphert. Na sceitsi a tharraing si ann ta siad le feiceail i bhforlionta a cuireadh le United Ireland i nDeireadh Fomhair agus i Samhain 1890. Rinne
Liam P. O Riain
an tagairt seo di in 'The Irish Literary Revival' (1894): “Miss Norma Borthwick who is known as an artist will be remembered by many readers in connection with the exciting episodes in the Land War in Ireland”.
D’fhoghlaim si Gaeilge o Thomas O Flannghaile sa Southwark Literary Society.
[1]
Is do a thoirbhir si Aibgitir na Gaeilge (1900). Is inspeise gur aithris si “Laoi Oisin i dTir na nOg”, a bhfoilseofai eagran Thomais de in 1896, ar 17 Eanair 1895, an oiche ar cheangail si le Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain. Chaith si seal ina cisteoir acu. Thainig si os comhair shaol na Gaeilge nuair a ghnothaigh si duais ar aiste faoin teideal “Bri na teanga i gcuis na naisiuntachta” ag an gcead Oireachtas in 1897. “Aodh Rua” an t-ainm cleite a roghnaigh si.
[1]
Bhailigh Fionan Mac Coluim an duais thar a ceann. Cearnog Markham, Chelsea, a seoladh ag an am.
Cuireadh an eagraiocht
Cumann na Scribheann nGaedhilge
(Bearla: The Irish Texts Society) ar bun i Londain, ar 26 Aibrean 1898. Ba e
Dubhghlas de hIde
a chead Uachtaran, bhi Frederick York Powell a chead chathaoirleach agus ba runaithe iad Norma Borthwick agus
Eleanor Hull
.
[2]
Post deonach a bhi ann, agus d’eirigh Norma as i Mi na Nollag na bliana sin. Cuid da curam bainistiocht
Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge
. Bhuaigh si duais san amhranaiocht ag
Oireachtas
1898. I gcaint raidio a chraol se i 1958, duirt Mac Coluim gurbh amhranai agus ceoltoir i. Um Nollaig 1898 bhi si ag fanacht leis an m
Bantiarna Gregory
sa Chuil: “Miss Borthwick the Irish scholar who had been giving me lessons in London is staying here and has classes every afternoon in the Gate Lodge, about eight girls and thirty to forty young men alternately, some walking as far as three miles to attend” (Seventy years). Idir shugradh is dairire duirt si freisin: “The beginning of modern Irish drama was in the winter of 1898 when Douglas Hyde and Miss Borthwick acted in Irish in a Punch and Judy show”.
Norma agus Seosamh O Torna a chuir eagar ar imeachtai foilsithe Oireachtas 1898. Comhthoghadh i ina ball den Choiste Gno in 1899 agus bhi si ina runai ar Oireachtas na bliana sin. Bhi si ag cabhru le h
Eoin Mac Neill
chun
An Claidheamh Soluis
a thabhairt amach.
Bhi litir o Liam O Maolruanai i seilbh Dhonncha Ui Shuilleabhain (Feasta, Deireadh Fomhair 1988) i dtaobh Norma agus P. J. McCall mar theachtairi on gConradh ag Feis Dhun na nGall i Mean Fomhair 1898 agus mar a chuaigh pearsantacht an
Easpaig Ui Dhomhnaill
i gcion orthu chomh mor sin gur mhaith leo an Craoibhin a dhibirt agus an tEaspag a chur ina ait. Cuireadh an rud ceanna i leith D. P. Moran i 1901. Ag an am sin a rinne si a portraid den easpag, b’fheidir.
Thosaigh si ag muineadh Gaeilge sa Chlochar Doiminiceach i
Sraid Eccles
ar 7 Deireadh Fomhair 1899. Ni doigh gur lean si rofhada sa phost. Bhi conai uirthi ag 15
Ascal Windsor
,
Fionnradharc
, ag an am. D’eirigh si as obair an Choiste Gno agus as runaiocht an Oireachtais i Samhain 1899. Nuair a toghadh aris i i 1901 nior fhan si ach tamaillin ar an gCoiste toisc gurbh i Leamhcan a bhi si ina conai san am. “An Grianan” ab ainm don teach.
Ar
Inis Meain
a bhiodh tarraingt lucht ceannais an Chonartha. Bhi Norma sa chathaoir ag cruinniu na bhfear de Chraobh Una Ni Fhaircheallaigh ann ar 6 Lunasa 1899. Thug si aitheasc agus chan si “Caitheamh an Ghlais”. In aiste a scriobh
Dame Columba Butler
, deirfiur Mhaire de Buitlear, in Capuchin Annual 1952 luann si Norma mar dhuine den dream a chaitheadh a laethanta saoire san oilean gach bliain: “... the floor of the Dun is carpeted with short grass and wild flowers and delicate sprays of maiden hair fern are peeping out of the crevices of the rocks . . . Padraic Pearse is talking earnestly to Norma Borthwick”. Bhi si fein agus cupla duine eile ar an gCoiste Gno in aghaidh an Phan-Cheilteachais i 1900 agus dar le
Ruth Dudley Edwards
gur ghearain si
an Piarsach
leis an gCraoibhin gur ol se slainte na banriona ag giuncan sa Bhreatain Bheag. Buachaill ar
Inis Meain
a sceith an sceal do Norma, mas fior!
I 1900 bhi si ina cathaoirleach ar chraobh nuabhunaithe Dhroim Conrach
[1]
agus sa bhliain cheanna sin a d’fhoilsigh M.H. Gill Aibgitir na Gaeilge o lamh Norma Bortwick: the Irish Alphabet illustrated by Norma Borthwick, agus a bhunaigh si fein agus Mairead Ni Raghallaigh Muintir na Leabhar Gaeilge (The Irish Book Company). 35 Sraid Uach. Ui Chonaill seoladh an chomhlachta ar dtus, 6 Sraid D’Olier ina dhiaidh sin. Ba iad ba mho feasta a bheadh ag foilsiu leabhair
an Athar Peadar O Laoghaire
. Idir 1900 agus 1913 d’fhoilsigh siad faoin teideal Ceol Sidhe a cnuasach de 96 amhrain i seacht leabhran. Ar mhaithe le baill Chraobh Rath Maonais a thug si faoin obair seo an chead la.
Ar 10 Feabhra 1901 tharla rud an-triobloideach. Cuireadh ina leith sa chuirt gur falsaitheoir a bhi inti. Bhi si ag teagasc Gaeilge don Dr. Cane, “St.Wolstan’s”,
Cill Droichid
, agus duradh gur ghoid si seic de chuid a mhna agus gur bhris si e. Thainig a huncail o Albain. Thainig John Dillon M.P. agus thug teistimearacht charachtair di; chuir se aithne uirthi i Londain deich mbliana roimhe sin. Agus thainig scata mor da cairde chun seasamh lei sa chuirt. Caitheadh amach an chuis. Ta cuntas air sna paipeir go leir agus in TimesLondan, fiu. Is cinnte go raibh Norma go maith as sa tsaol agus nar gha di a leitheid de ghadaiocht bheag amaideach. Deir Charlotte McManus go raibh an tAthair Peadar sa chuirt chun tacu lei.
Leabhar Norma Borthwick, maisithe ag
Jack Butler Yeats
D’fhoilsigh si a leabhar teagaisc Ceachta Beaga Gaeilge i 1902.
[3]
Jack B. Yeats a sholathraigh na pictiuir. Thug an scolaire ilteangach an tAthair Risteard O Dalaigh an moladh seo da saothar: “With the copy received from you 12 days ago I have taught a person from the alphabet up and the neighbours now gather in in the evenings to listen to this new reader reading Fr. O’Leary’s new catechism and other books in Irish”. Bhi se ag tagairt gan amhras do Ghaeilgeoir nach raibh leamh na scriobh na teanga aige.
Is leir go raibh baint mhor aici le foilsiu Seadna. Scriobh an tAthair Peadar chuig Lughaidh Breathnach ar 4 Eanair 1919: “You are right in what you say about Miss Borthwick. But for that lady I fear the book would not have come out at all ... It was she who collected the scattered fragments of it and put them together ... Of course I had to look carefully through every syllable of the work” (Donegal Annual Iml IV). D’ullmhaigh si focloirin le haghaidh an leabhair agus d'aistrigh si go Bearla e. Sa reamhra a chuir Liam Mac Mathuna le heagran 1987 de Seadna deir se: ‘Is sa bhliain 1916 a thainig aistriuchan Bearla ar an saothar amach. Is o laimh Norma Borthwick a thainig se seo, dala Focloir do Sheadna, biodh nach raibh a hainm le leamh ar cheachtar acu’. I ndeireadh a shaoil d’ainmnigh O Laoghaire i mar dhuine da sheachtar seiceadoiri liteartha.
Bhiodh aisti Gaeilge i gclo aici san iris St.Patrick’s sa treimhse 1900?1903 faoina hainm cleite “Fear na Mona”. Ina dhiaidh sin dhealrodh se gurbh i obair an chomhlachta amhain a bhi ar siul aici. Sa bhliain 1912 d’fhoilsigh si Leourin na leanav, an leabhar da cuid fein arbh fhiu le hOsborn Bergin an leagan seo sa litriu simpli a ullmhu.
[1]
[4]
Bhi aithne ag Norma ar
Lady Gregory
, ag fanacht ag a teach ag an Chuil agus ag teagasc Gregory agus bunadh na haite Gaelige.
[4]
Le linn di fanacht uair amhain, chuir si seo 'Punch agus Judy' ar siul in eineachtale Dubhghlas de hIde.
[5]
D’fhag si Eire timpeall 1919 agus nior fhill. Go tobann ni raibh a hainm le feiceail nios mo i liosta na mball de Chumann na Scribheann Gaeilge (bhi si na runai ar roinn na hEireann den Chumann trath). Ni raibh fhios ag daoine cen fath na cad d’eirigh di. Bhi rafla gur cuisiodh i mar gheall ar ghadaiocht siopa. Macalla de scanall na seice ud a bhi sa rafla sin, b’fheidir.
Bhi si ina conai in Newcastle-on-Tyne lena deirfiur Grace Hay Borthwick ar feadh tamaill. Chuir siad futhu i Scalfay san Oilean Sciathanach agus ansin, i ndeireadh na 1920idi, d’aistrigh siad go dti Cill Bhride agus bhi conai orthu i Kilbride House. Faoin am seo bhi Norma gan urlabhra agus i ina pairiliseach. Bhi an suanghalar forleathan idir 1915 agus 1926. ‘Pandemic’ a bhi ann agus bhi sise i measc na milte a tholg e. De reir an teastais bais bhi Encephalitis Lethargica uirthi le 16 bliana, Parkinsonianism le se bliana agus bulbar paralysis le dha bhliain. Dhealrodh se mar sin gurbh e an suanghalar faoi deara di Eire a fhagail tuairim 1919. Cailleadh i san ait aoibhinn uaigneach sin Cill Bhride ar 13 Meitheamh 1934. Ta si curtha i reilig Chill Mhuire san oilean.
Ta an t-alt seo bunaithe ar abhar as Ainm.ie, an Bunachar Naisiunta Beathaisneisi Gaeilge.
Fiontar a dheanann an obair theiciniuil ar shuiomh Ainm agus CIC a chuireann an t-abhar ar fail. Is ag Clo Iar-Chonnacht ata coipchearta ar an abhar.
Ta se ceart go leor eolas as an suiomh a usaid faoi lathair (chomh fada agus nach bhfuil taille da bhaint amach agat air) don chineal oibre ata I gceist agat ach aitheantas cui a thabhairt agus nasc (ainm) a chur leis. 2011. Ta comhluadar na Vicipeide go mor faoi chomaoin as ucht cead a thabhairt an t-abhar o Ainm.ie a roinnt linn go leir.