Eoghan Ó Tuairisc facts for kids

Eoghan Ó Tuairisc (whose real name was Eugene Rutherford Watters) was an important Irish poet and writer. He was born on April 3, 1919, and passed away on August 24, 1982. He wrote many different kinds of stories, poems, and plays in both the Irish and English languages.

About Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's Life

Eugene Rutherford Watters was born in a place called Dunlo Hill in Ballinasloe, which is in County Galway, Ireland. His father, Thomas Watters, was a soldier, and his mother was Maud Sproule. He got his middle name, Rutherford, from his grandfather.

He went to school at Garbally College. Later, in 1939, he started studying at St. Patrick's Teacher Training College in Drumcondra. He finished his teaching studies in 1945. He also earned a special degree called an MA from University College Dublin in 1947.

Eugene Ó Tuairisc was an officer in the Irish Army during a time called the Emergency, which lasted from 1939 to 1945. After his time in the army, he became a teacher in Finglas, County Dublin, and he taught there from 1940 to 1969.

From 1962 to 1965, he was the editor of Feasta, a magazine published by Conradh na Gaeilge, an organization that promotes the Irish language. His first wife, an Irish artist named Una McDonnell, sadly passed away in 1965. The next five years were a difficult time for him. He moved homes and changed jobs often, and he didn't write as much as before.

In 1972, he married another writer, Rita Kelly, who was also from Ballinasloe. They lived in a special house by the Barrow River near Carlow town. A plaque on their house, put there by his wife, says he was happy there. Rita Kelly was still alive when he passed away in 1982.

Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's Writing Journey

Eoghan Ó Tuairisc was a very versatile writer. He wrote novels, poems, plays, and literary reviews in both Irish and English. His first big book was a novel called Murder in Three Moves. After that, he wrote a long story in Irish called L'Attaque, which won an Irish Book Club award. Both of these books were very poetic. His next book was a collection of poems called Week-End.

Many people believe his best work is a long poem called Dermot and Grace. It's an Irish version of a famous ancient story, similar to Venus and Adonis.

After his first wife died, Ó Tuairisc didn't write much for about five years. But in 1981, he published The Road to Brightcity: and other stories. This book was his translation of nine excellent short stories originally written in Irish by Máirtín Ó Cadhain. Also in 1981, he and his second wife, Rita Kelly, published a book of their poems together called Dialann sa Díseart.

Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, like another writer named Diarmaid Ó Súilleabháin, believed that writers should have the freedom to be creative and mix different styles. They thought that writing in Irish didn't always have to follow very strict old rules.

In 1981, Eoghan Ó Tuairisc was one of the first 89 people chosen to be part of Aosdána. This is a special group that honors Irish artists. He passed away before the first big meeting of Aosdána. He received an award from the Arts Council of Ireland and also an Abbey Theatre prize for a Christmas pantomime (a fun play) he wrote in Irish. A book about his life and all his works was published in Irish in 1988.

Eoghan Ó Tuairisc's Published Works

Translations

• John Jordan (editor), "Dialann Deoraí", found in: The Pleasures of Gaelic Literature (1977).
• Máirtín Ó Cadhain, The road to Brightcity: and other stories, Swords: Poolbeg Press, 1981.
• Pádraic Ó Conaire, 15 Short Stories, Swords: Poolbeg Press, 1982.

Poetry Collections

• Dialann sa Díseart, Dublin: Coiscéim, 1981.
• Rogha an Fhile, an anthology (collection) with translations. 1974.
• New Passages, 1973.
• Dé Luain, Dublin: Allen Figgis 1966.
• The Weekend of Dermot and Grace, Dublin: Allen Figgis & Son, 1964; also appeared in "Eugene Watters Special Issue" Poetry Ireland Review 13 (1985).
• Lux Aeterna, including Hiroshima Mass, Dublin: Allen Figgis, 1964.

Plays

• Fornocht do Chonac, first performed in 1979; Dublin: Foilseacháin an Rialtais, 1981.
• Lá Fhéile Michíl, first performed in 1963; Dublin: Clodhanna Teo., 1967.
• Song of the Nightingale, written with Sandra Warde, 1971.

Essays

• Religio Poetae agus Aistí Eile, edited by Maírín Nic Eoin, Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar, 1987.
• Focus, (with Desmond Egan), 1972.

Books

• An Lomnochtán. Autobiography, Dublin & Cork: Mercier, 1978.
• [The Story of a] Hedgeschool Master, 1975.
• L'Attaque, Dublin: Allen Figgis, 1962 (a novel written in Irish).
• Murder in Three Moves, 1960.

Other Writings and Activities

• "Christian names", in Encyclopaedia of Ireland, Dublin: Figgis 1968, pages 119–21.
• "Infinite Variety – Dan Lowrey's Music Hall 1879–97" (written with Matthew Murtagh) Gill & Macmillan, 1975.