![]() From 1960 the Irish population was urbanizing, a process that led to the "Celtic Tiger" economy in the 1990s, and Peig's tales of woe in rural surroundings confirmed to many students that Irish was a language of poverty and misery, while English was considered the language of science and commerce. As a book with arguably sombre themes (its latter half cataloging a string of family misfortunes), its presence on the Irish syllabus was criticised for some years. The book was for a long time required reading in secondary schools in Ireland. The often bleak tone of the book is established from its opening words: Peig depicts the declining years of a traditional, Irish-speaking way of life characterised by poverty, devout Catholicism, and folk memory of the Famine and the Penal Laws. Parody of the type reached its zenith with Flann O'Brien's satire of an tOileánach as an Béal Bocht ("the Poor Mouth"). The movement swiftly found itself the object of some derision and mockery - especially among the more cosmopolitan city dwellers of Ireland - for its often relentless depictions of rural hardship. ![]() Flaherty's documentary Man of Aran address similar subjects. Tomás Ó Criomhthain's memoir an tOileánach ("the Islandman", 1929) and Robert J. Peig is among the most famous expressions of a late Gaelic Revival genre of personal histories by and about inhabitants of the Blasket Islands and other remote Irish locations. ![]() Sayers's autobiography was dictated to her son Micheál and published in 1936. Peig Sayers, a familiar figure to generations of Irish schoolchildren, was born on Ma– 137 years ago this week.Sayers is most famous for her autobiography, Peig, ISBN 0-8156-0258-8, but also recounted folklore and other stories which were recorded in Machnamh Seanmhná/An Old Woman's Reflections, ISBN 978-0192812391. She later spent her last years in the local hospital in Dingle. As the population of the island dwindled, people began moving to the mainland and Peig once again settled in Dunquin. She followed this with Machnamh Sean Mhná with Ní Chinnéide again as editor. This was edited by Máire Ní Chinnéide and became a central part of every schoolchild’s life. In the 1930s she dictated her life story to her son, Maidhc. Hundreds of her stories were gathered by the folklore commission. They were also the first to recognise the wealth of stories that Peig had and they recorded some of them. It was Flower and two fellow Englishman who began to persuade the people of the island to write their stories and from their encouragements, we got classics such as An tÓileanach and Fiche Blian ag Fás. Flower became so liked that he was given the Irish name Bláithín. Marstrander was instrumental in suggesting that Robin Flower visit the Blaskets and sent him to Tomás Ó Croithin. JM Synge arrived in 1905 and he was followed by Norwegian Carl Marstrander. Gradually, visitors came to the Blaskets to learn Irish and to gather the stories and music of the islanders. Emily Campbell, 27, who is originally from Cork, and her boyfriend Daniel Regan, 29, from London, were offered the highly coveted role for six months, beating thousands of other applicants. Songs, music and storytelling passed the winter nights. In those early years of the last century, any entertainment was home grown, particularly during the winter. There she developed her talent for storytelling and she became one of the best-known seanchaí’s in the country. Peig moved out to the island where she lived for the next 40 years and where seven of her 10 children survived infancy. This sojourn was not as happy as before but Peig left Dingle when she married Pádraig Ó Guithín from the Great Blasket Island. Peig had hoped to emigrate but was disappointed when her friend never sent back the fare as promised, so she went back into service in Dingle. As was the custom at that time, when one person emigrated they often sent back the fare for another to follow them. She was happy in Dingle and treated well but returned home to Dunquin for health reasons. As a young girl, she worked as a servant girl for a Dingle shopkeeper. Peig Sayers was born in Baile an Bhiocáire near Dunquin in West Kerry. You do not often find a person known simply by their Christian name and while it is common nowadays for married ladies to continue to use their maiden names, it was a rarity in the early years of the last century. Her story is no longer on the curriculum and has been replaced by, among others, Ireland’s Got Talent star Daithí Ó Sé’s father, Maidhc Dainín Ó Sé, who once roguishly described himself as “Peig without the shawl”. Her tales of the harsh life of ordinary folk along the west coast and on the islands was a staple diet for generations. Was there ever a woman more cursed upon by generations of schoolchildren? Her life story was a basic part of the school programme for decades.
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