Cathal Ó Sándair facts for kids

Cathal Ó Sándair (born Charles Saunders) was a very famous Irish writer. He lived from 1922 to 1996. He wrote more books than almost anyone else in the Irish language during the 1900s. A company called An Gúm published 120 of his books. This happened between 1943 and 1984. Today, there's even an award for the best Irish children's book named after one of his characters, Réics Carló.

About Cathal Ó Sándair

Early Life and Family

Cathal Ó Sándair was born Charles Saunders. He was born in Weston-super-Mare, England. His birthday was July 15, 1922. His father was a boxer from England. His mother was from Dublin, Ireland.

His parents met in Bristol. His mother worked in a factory. His father drove a tram. When Cathal was just two months old, his family moved to Ireland.

Education and Early Career

Cathal went to school in Dublin. He attended Synge Street CBS. He also went to Coláiste Chiaráin in Bray.

Later, he joined the Irish Air Corps. After that, he moved to Louth. He became a customs officer for the government. In 1949, he got married. He and his wife had four children.

Becoming a Full-Time Writer

In 1954, Cathal Ó Sándair left his job. He wanted to write books all the time. But by 1957, his book sales dropped. It was hard to support his family. He even thought about moving to Canada.

In 1963, he went back to work. He rejoined the civil service. He stayed there until he retired in 1987.

Cathal Ó Sándair's Books

Starting His Writing Journey

When Cathal was still in school, he published a story. It was in a magazine called An Gael Óg. This happened in 1938. He used a pen name, Cuan Aoibheann.

His first book for kids was called Tríocha Píosa Airgid. It came out in 1942. After World War II, there was a paper shortage. This meant An Gúm could only print a few of his books each year.

The Famous Réics Carló Series

In 1943, Cathal published Na Mairbh a d’Fhill. This book introduced his most famous character. He was a detective named Réics Carló. This book was very popular. Over 1,000 copies sold in the first month. In total, 9,000 copies were sold. This was amazing, especially with the paper shortage!

Cathal Ó Sándair wrote 45 books about Réics Carló. All of them were published by An Gúm. In 2022, his first two Réics Carló books were reprinted. They were Na Mairbh a d’Fhil and An tEitleán Dofheicthe.

Different Kinds of Stories

Cathal Ó Sándair wrote many different types of stories. Besides Réics Carló's adventures, he wrote western novels. These books featured a character named Réamonn Óg.

He also wrote stories about school adventures. In these books, boys and girls always saved the day. He even wrote science fiction! This series was about a space-pilot called Captaen Spéirling. These stories were a bit like the famous Dan Dare comics.

After he returned to his civil service job, he took a break. He didn't write many novels in the 1960s and 70s.

His Amazing Legacy

It is believed that Cathal Ó Sándair published 160 books. Some of these books have never been published. He sold more than 500,000 copies of his books. This shows how popular and important his writing was.