Eugene O'Growney

Who was Eugene O'Growney?

Eugene O'Growney, was an Irish priest and scholar, and a key figure in the Gaelic revival of the late 19th century.

The Irish language had largely retreated from Meath when he was born, and neither of his parents spoke it. He became interested in the language when he chanced upon the Irish lessons in the nationalist newspaper Young Ireland. He had help at first from a few old people who spoke the language, and while at Maynooth, where he continued his studies for the priesthood from the year 1882, he used to spend his holidays in Irish-speaking areas in the north, west and south. He got to know the Aran Islands and wrote about them in the bilingual Gaelic Journal, which he was later to edit. He was ordained in 1888. His proficiency in the language led him to be appointed in the re-established Chair of Irish at Maynooth in 1891. He was editor of the Gaelic Journal between 1894 and 1899 and during his tenure ensured that more material was published in Irish.

For O’Growney language, nationality and religion were closely linked. In 1890, writing in the Irish Ecclesiastical Review, he described literature in Irish as “the most Catholic literature in the world”. He was aware, however, of its other aspects, adding that “even if Irish were to perish as a spoken language, it would remain valuable from the pure literature point of view”.