Pádraig Ó Fiannachta

Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (1927 - 15 July 2016) was an Irish language scholar, poet and priest from the Kerry Gaeltacht. He is perhaps best known for producing a translation of the Christian Bible into the Irish-language.

Biography

Fiannachta studied at Maynooth, University College Cork and All Hallows, Clonliffe College. He was ordained a priest in 1953. He spent some time in Wales prior to returning to Maynooth College where he became professor of early Irish in 1960 as well as Welsh Language lecturer. He was made professor of Modern Irish at Maynooth in 1982. He was awarded the Douglas Hyde prize for literature in 1969.

He translated and edited an Irish language version of the Bible - An Bíobla Naofa which was published in 1982.^[1] He retired from Maynooth in 1992, returning to Dingle as parish priest. In 1998 he was awarded the title Monsignor by Pope John Paul II. In 2013, he was made a Companion of the Order of Clans of Ireland. He was involved in many Dingle events such as the blessing of the boats and participated in the Dingle/Daingean Uí Chúis name-change debate.^[2]

He died in Dingle on 15 July 2016 at the age of 89.^[3]

Publications

• An Bíobla Naofa. translated and edited by Padraig O'Fiannachta (1982)
• The Tain (Hardcover) by Padraig O'Fiannachta (Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies 1966)
• Rúin (1969)
• Feoirlingi Fileata (1972)
• Donn Bo (1976)
• Seanghaeilge Gan Dua (1981)
• Deora Dé (1987)
• Léim An Dá Mile (1999)
• Irisleabhar Mha Nuad, O'FIANNACHTA, PADRAIG
• Prayers from the Irish Tradition by Pádraig Ó Fiannachta, English translation by Desmond Forristal Columba Press (1 Jan 2000)

References