Seán Ó hEochaidh facts for kids

Seán Ó hEochaidh (born February 9, 1913 – died January 18, 2002) was an Irish folklorist. A folklorist is someone who studies and collects the traditional stories, customs, and beliefs of a community. Seán Ó hEochaidh spent his life gathering these important parts of Irish culture.

Who Was Seán Ó hEochaidh?

Seán Ó hEochaidh grew up in Teelin, a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. When he was young, he worked as a fisherman. Even though he had only a basic education, he loved to write down the old stories and traditions he heard from people in his area. This early interest showed how much he cared about preserving his community's history.

Collecting Irish Stories

In 1935, a man named Séamus Ó Duilearga from the Irish Folklore Commission noticed Seán's talent. He hired Seán to work full-time collecting folklore in the Gaeltacht area of Donegal. Gaeltacht areas are places in Ireland where the Irish language is still spoken every day.

Seán didn't just write things down. He also used a special machine called an Ediphone to record stories and songs on wax cylinders. This machine was quite heavy, weighing about 56 pounds! Sometimes, people were a bit scared of it, thinking it might be something magical or even bad. Seán had to be very good at convincing them to share their stories.

He could record many cylinders in one day. Then, at night, he would carefully write down everything he had recorded in his neat handwriting. He once said that he talked to at least 1,500 different people to collect their stories. His work was so important that a newspaper, The Guardian, said he collected "the largest collection of Irish folklore ever compiled by one individual."

His Later Life and Achievements

In the 1960s, Seán was invited to give talks at Queen's University, Belfast. He shared his knowledge with students in the Celtic Studies department. Later, in 1971, the Irish Folklore Commission changed, and Seán joined the Department of Irish Folklore at University College, Dublin.

Seán received many honors for his amazing work. In 1988, he was given a special degree called an honorary doctorate in Celtic literature from University College, Galway. The next year, he became the President of the Oireachtas. This is a big festival that celebrates Gaelic culture every year. In 1989, the festival was held in Seán's home area of Glencolmcille, Donegal. In 1995, he was named "Donegal Person of the Year," which was a great honor from his home county.

Family Life

Seán Ó hEochaidh was married to Anna Ní Gabhann. She passed away in 1996. Seán was survived by his brother, Tomás, and his sister, Cáit.