Ba shagart as Muigheo de chuid an S.M.A, Seán Mac Suibhne agus siciatraí cáiliúil as Boston, Frederick Rosenheim, a bhunaigh Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston i 1973. Tháinig Naomh Pádraig i mbrionglóid chuig Rosenheim, adúirt sé, agus d’iompaigh sé ar an gCríostaíocht agus thosaigh sé ag foghlaim Gaeilge dá bharr.
Ba chainteoir dúchais í sean-mháthair an Athar Seán a mhúin rithimí agus fuaimeanna na teanga dó. Chuir sé slacht ar a chuid Gaeilge ina dhéagóir ar chúrsaí samhraidh i gConamara. Taréis a oirnithe i 1934, lean sé ag staidéar na Gaeilge, agus ba mhúinteoir agus scoláire díocasach é i gcaitheamh a shaoil.
Roghnaigh an Cairdinéal Cushing é chun craomh den S. M. A. a stiúradh i Dedham, Massachusetts, agus i 1968, thosaigh sé féin agus Henry Weldon rang Gaeilge ansin. An bhliain dár gcionn, cheadaigh rúnaí oideachais an stáit, John McGrail, rang Gaeilge i Harvard ar choinníol go mbeadh scór scoláire ann. Ba é an tAthair Seán an múinteoir, agus ba chuid dá scoláirí a bhunódh Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston.
Thosaigh Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston go hoifigiúil ar an 17ú Márta, 1973, i 57 Sr. Carver, Bay Village. Ba dhaoine gairmiúla agus lucht léinn, a bhí fréamhaithe go domhain in Éirinn is mó a bhí i láthair. Ba mhac imirceánach as Cúl Aodha i gCorcaigh é an dlíodóir Tadhg Ó Súilleabháin a raibh gaol acu leis an bhfile Pádraig Mac Suibhne, an Suibhneach Meán. Ba i gCreachmhaoill i nGaillimh a bhí ginealach chine Sheáin Brougham, ard-mháistir Scoil Jeremiah Burke i mBoston. Ansiúd a chum Rafterí a chuid véarsaí cáiliúla i dtús an hochtú céad déag, agus b’ann freisin a d’éirigh idir an file dall agus beirt fhilí áitiúla, Marcas agus Peatsaí Ó Callannáin, titim amach a d’fhág againn cuid de na haortha is nimhní sa teanga.
Ba bhall é an Dr. Ken Nilsen as Nua Eabhrach a mhúin ranganna, rud a rinne Liam Mahon freisin atá in’ ollamh sa mBreatain Bheag faoi láthair. Chuir Ken faoi i dtuaisceart Chonamara ar feadh bliana ag déanamh staidéir ar chaint na ndaoine, agus chuir sé an cuimse leis an litríocht faoin ábhar sin. D’fhan sé gníomhach in imeachtaí an Chumainn, ag taisteal ó Ollscoil Naomh Francis Xavier in Antigonish, Alba Nua, gach bliain chun seimineár breá a thabhairt faoi mhódhanna múinteoireachta agus foghlaim teanga. Bhásaigh sé sa mbliain 2011, agus chaill an teanga agus an Cumann dlúthchara agus scoth an scoláire.
Sna chéad bhlianta, bhíodh cruinnithe míosúla ag an gCumann ina léití an tAifreann i nGaeilge, agus ina reáchtáiltí imeachtaí sóisialta ina dhiadh: ceol, amhránaíocht, damhsa, agus ar ndóigh, comhrá i nGaeilge. Bhíodh atmasféar cáirdiúil ann, agus é éasca ag na foghlaimeoirí meascadh agus gach a raibh foghlamtha acu sa rang a chleachtadh. Ar an mbealach sin, bhí spraoi acu ag foghlaim, agus mhéadaigh an suim sa teanga. Ba ghearr go raibh ranganna in áiteanna eile ar fud an stáit chun freastal ar an éileamh.
Cé gur pháirt den Chumann é an creideamh, níorbh eagraíocht religiúnach é, ach eagraíocht oscailte teanga agus cultúir. Bhí go leor baill ann de chreidimh eile, agus fáilte roimh gach duine. Le imeacht ama, mheall an Cumann isteach go leor cainteoirí dúchais, as Conamara den chuid is mó, agus b’iontach an deis é seo do scoláirí.
Inniu, is iomaí eagraíocht teanga in áiteacha éagsúla ar fud na tíre. Ach bhí Cumann na Gaeilge ar cheann de na chéad chinn agus mhair sé de bharr iarrachtaí dhaoine ar nós John McGrath, Máirín Ní Choinceannain, Ken Nilsen, Jim West, Bridie Maye, Henry Varian, An tAth. John McLaughlin, Mary Carty, Cáit agus George Graca. Lean an Cumann ar aghaidh freisin se bharr fadbhreathnaitheachta agus ceannais a chuid uachtarán, Mairéad Ní Chonchúir, Tadhg Ó Súilleabháin, Henry Weldon, Uaitéar Ó Riagáin, Micheál Ó Cuinn, Peigí Ní Chlochartaigh, Micheál Ó Tnúthail agus Bernadette Mac Con Iomaire. Is é Pádraig Clifford uachtarán an Chumainn faoi láthair.
Ar ais go dtí barr an leathanaigh
Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston was co-founded in 1973 by Dr. Frederick Rosenheim, a noted psychiatrist, and Fr. Seán Sweeney, an S.M.A. priest from Claremorris in County Mayo. Rosenheim’s interest in Irish was sparked by what he claimed was St. Patrick’s appearance to him in a dream–an event which inspired his conversion to Christianity and the study of the language.
Fr. Sweeney’s grandmother was a native speaker who taught him the sounds and rhythms of the language. He honed his language skills in his teenage years by attending summer courses in the Connemara gaeltacht. After his ordination in 1934, he continued his studies and was an avid student and teacher his whole life.
He was chosen by Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, to direct a branch of the S.M.A in Dedham, Massachusetts, and in 1968 he and Henry Weldon formed an Irish language class there. The following year, John McGrail, the Massachusetts Secretary of Education, authorized an Irish class at Harvard University on condition that there were twenty students. The teacher was Fr. Seán and some of his students would later be the founding members of Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston.
Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston was officially launched on March 17, 1973, at 57 Carver St. in Bay Village. Those in attendance were, for the most part, academics and professionals with close links to Ireland. Tadhg O’ Sullivan, an attorney, was the son of immigrants from Cúl Aodha in Cork, and was related to the poet Pádraig Mac Suibhne, An Suibhneach Meán. Seán Brougham, headmaster of the Jeremiah Burke School in Boston, traced his ancestry to Craughwell in Galway, where the blind poet Raftery drifted and composed his famous verses in the early nineteenth century. Here also he quarreled with local poets Patsy and Marcus Callanan–a feud that resulted in some of the harshest satire in Irish poetry.
Dr. Ken Nilsen from New York was a member and taught classes, as did Dr. Liam Mahon who is now a professor in Wales. Ken lived in North Connemara for a year while on sabbatical leave from Harvard, studying the local speech patterns, and contributed a great deal to the literature on the subject. He remained active in the Cumann’s activities, travelling from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, to give a superb seminar every Summer on teaching methods and language acquisition. He died in 2011, and both the organization and the language lost a true friend and a great scholar.
In the early years, the Cumann had monthly meetings which included the Mass in Irish, followed by social activity: music, singing, dancing, and of course conversation in Irish. The atmosphere was relaxed, and learners easily mingled and practiced what they had learned in class. Learning thus became fun, and enthusiasm grew. Soon, classes had to be conducted in other parts of the state to satisfy the growing interest and demand.
Although religion always played a role, it was never a religious organization, but rather an inclusive language and cultural society. There were many members of other faiths, and everyone was welcome. In time, the Cumann attracted many native speakers, from Connemara primarily, who were a priceless resource for students.
Nowadays, there are many Irish language groups in different parts of the country. But Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston was one of the first, and has endured through the tireless efforts of people such as John McGrath, Máirín Ní Choinceannain, Ken Nilsen, Jim West, Bridie Maye, Henry Varian, Fr. John McLaughlin, Mary Carty and Cáit Graca. The Cumann has also benefitted from the vision and leadership of its presidents including, in chronological order, Margaret O’ Connor, Tadhg O’ Súilleabháin, Henry Weldon, Walter O’ Reagan, Michael Quinn, Peggy Cloherty, Michael Newell and Bernadette Ridge. Pádraig Clifford is the current president of the Cumann.
Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston 