Tomás Bairéad facts for kids
Tomás Bairéad (1893–1973) was an important Irish writer and a strong supporter of Irish independence. He was born in Galway. Tomás was involved with groups like the Irish Volunteers and the IRA in the early 1900s. He also joined Sinn Féin, a political party that wanted Ireland to be free.
In 1920, he was part of a group that burned down a police station in Rosmuc. Tomás started his writing career at the Galway Express, a newspaper that supported Irish independence. Later, in 1922, he joined the Irish Independent newspaper, where he wrote about politics. He even became the editor of that newspaper in 1945. He won an award for his writing in 1938. Tomás also created his own special way of writing Irish quickly, like a shorthand. His good friend, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, encouraged him to focus on his writing instead of his involvement with the IRA.
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Early Life and Family
Tomás Bairéad, also known as Thomas Barrett, was born on July 7, 1893. His birthplace was Ballydotia, near Moycullen in County Galway. He grew up to be a journalist and a writer in the Irish language.
In 1930, Tomás married Ellen Maher (1903–1947) in London. Ellen was from County Westmeath. They had two daughters: Treasa, who became a nurse, and Maura, who became a librarian.
Tomás was a talented athlete when he was young. He played Gaelic football and hurling for his local team. When he was about 17, he got into trouble for moving cattle from a landlord's land. He did this because the landlord had forced some of his neighbors to leave their homes. This action led to Tomás spending some time in jail. Tomás mostly taught himself what he knew, learning a lot on his own.
His Career and Writings
Tomás Bairéad was a member of the Moycullen group of the Irish Volunteers in 1916. This group worked for Irish independence. He was also part of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and Sinn Féin. He even helped new members join the IRB by giving them an oath. Tomás was friends with important leaders of the 1916 Rebellion in Galway, like Liam Mellows. In 1920, he was involved in burning down the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Barracks in Rosmuc. Because of these actions, he spent time in Galway Jail.
Tomás started his career as a journalist in 1917 with the Galway Express. This was a weekly newspaper that supported the idea of an independent Ireland. In 1920, the police and the Black and Tans destroyed the newspaper's printing press. After that, Tomás moved to work for the Connacht Tribune.
On September 18, 1922, he joined the staff of the Irish Independent newspaper. By 1945, he was in charge of the newspaper's Irish language page. In 1930, he bought a family home in Glasnevin, Dublin. He lived there until he retired and moved back to Moycullen in 1948. While working for the Independent, he traveled to and reported on various Celtic Congresses. These meetings were held in places like Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In 1943, he reported on Éamon de Valera's election campaign.
Tomás wrote many books in the 1930s and 1940s. His first collection of short stories, called Cumhacht na Cinneamhna, came out in 1936. Critics loved it! The Connacht Tribune said his stories were probably the best of their kind published in Irish. The Irish Times also praised his writing. For this book, Tomás won the O'Growney Award in 1937.
His next book, An Geall a Briseadh, was published soon after. This book also contained short stories and sketches. They were mostly about scenes and events from his home countryside. This book also received great reviews. One review said Tomás was "undoubtedly a discovery" and a great new Irish writer. In 1938, he won the Douglas Hyde Literary Fund award for this book. It was even put on the university entrance exam syllabus in 1940. Later, the Department of Education included it in the school syllabus for 1953–1954.
His next book, Cruithneacht agus Ceannabháin, was a collection of 13 short stories published in 1940. In 1949, Ór na hAithinne was published.
His last major work was Gan Baisteadh, published in 1969. This book was partly about his own life and had 33 different stories.
In 1973, the book As an nGéibheann was published. This book was a collection of letters between Tomás and his friend Máirtín Ó Cadhain. The letters were written while Máirtín was in prison.
Tomás also won awards for other short stories. He won second prize in a competition in 1931 for his story 'Ruaidhri Ruadh, an Stiléara'. In 1951, he won first prize for his short story 'Duais an Mhaolánaigh'. His daughter, Treasa, has a medal he won in 1932.
His Role in the 1916 Easter Rising
Tomás Bairéad's involvement in the 1916 Easter Rising was mainly through newspapers. He collected many newspaper clippings about events in the Moycullen area during Easter week 1916. His collection also included information about the 1919 local election. It even had a copy of the oath taken by members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood.
His collection contains many names linked to Irish republicanism and Irish politics. These include Liam Mellows, Seán McDermot, Éamon de Valera, and Jack Lynch. Letters from Tomás's friend Morchadh Ó Dabhorionn are also very interesting. They show how lonely an Irish emigrant could feel. One quote from a letter says that Ireland was "closest to my heart." It also says it was "too bad that fate made me leave there."
Death
Tomás Bairéad passed away on October 26, 1973, at Bon Secours Hospital, Galway. He had been sick for a short time. Newspapers wrote about his death, calling him a "Noted Irish Scholar." His funeral service was held in Irish. The Connacht Tribune newspaper called him "one of the most famous writers to have come to us from the Gaeltacht in Galway."
The year Tomás died, 1973, was also when his book As an nGéibheann was published. This book contained the letters between Tomás and Máirtín Ó Cadhain from when Máirtín was in prison.
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