P.A. Ó Síocháin

Categories: 1905 births | 1995 deaths | Irish journalists | Irish writers | Irish people | Cork people

Pádraig Augustine Ó Síocháin (P.A.) 1905-1995, journalist, author, lawyer and Irish language activist, was born in Kanturk, Co. Cork, Ireland on 26. May 1905, sixth child and fourth son of five sons and five daughters of Daniel Desmond (D.D.) Sheehan, BL., M.P. for Mid-Cork, of Kanturk, and Mary Pauline (née O'Connor) from Tralee co. Kerry.

Journalism

He was educated at Kanturk National school, Rochestown College, Cork, and London University, receiving a diploma in journalism in 1923. Appointed junior reporter for the Daily Sketch in London in 1924, he returned to Ireland in 1924 as junior editor of the Enniscorthy Echo, co. Wexford. Moving to Dublin, he was from 1927 to 1932 reporter, political and aviation correspondent for the Irish Times, reporting exclusively on the first east-west Atlantic crossing by an aeroplane, the Bremen, in 1928 from Baldonnel Airfield, co. Dublin. He was one of the founder members of the Irish Press in 1932 as well as member of the Fianna Fail party.

Editor

During the 1930s he was editor of the Irish Aviation Magazine, the New Irish Magazine, and from 1931 of the Garda Review, the official journal of Ireland's National Police Service, which he edited for 35 years in accordance with General Eoin O'Duffy's instructions to edit it strictly in the interest of the service members of thr Garda Síochána (in English 'the Guardians of the Peace').

War Emergency

During the war emergency (1940-1944) he was Local Defence Force (LDF) area company leader and on the district HQ staff, as well as Secretary responsible for the distribution of turf peat fuel supplies from the Wicklow Mountains to south Dublin homes during the war rationing period.

Lawyer

Beginning law studies in 1930 he qualified as barrister-at-law at King's Inns Dublin in 1933. In 1946 he was called to the Inner Law Bar as Senior Counsel, practising extensively at the Four Courts, Dublin, specialising in trade union law, acting for 20 years for the Marine Port and General Worker's Union

Language activist

After the death of his father in 1948 he changed the family name from Sheehan to the modern Gaelic version of Ó Síocháin. In the 1950s he recognised the need for himself to understand his native country at a deeper level, so becoming involved with the Aran Islands where he perfected his spoken Gaelic to the fluency of a native speaker and gained immense respect from the islanders. He was founder and president of CARA, Society of Friends to promote the spoken use of the Irish language, and established an Irish language school in Dublin, also using learning recording systems. He was fervently against the compulsive requirements of taking Irish in schools, feeling that the language could best be promoted through enthusiasm and self desire.

Aran Islands engagement

In 1952 he acquired the company Galway Bay Products Ltd., to develop, market and export hand-knitted Aran Islands's knitwear, pioneering the big sales boom of Aran sweaters and similar handknitted co. Wexford Loch Garman garments, of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States, later in Japan, Europe, Canada and Australia.

During those decades he recorded the way of life and traditions on the islands, by filmimg these in detail. Elsewhere he furthered the fishing industry by providing two modern trawlers in the 1970s under his company Shannon Atlantic Fisheries Ltd..

Politics

During the 1960s he turned his attention again to politics, having been the co. Dublin Fianna Fail director of elections in 1948, but abandoning them in 1952, now becoming involved in the Labour movement, standing as an unsuccessful Labour party candidate for co. Clare in the 1965 general election.

Other activities

He wrote numerous books concerning law, the first legal books ever published in the Gaelic langage, as well as books on history. He was nominated president of the PEN Club of Ireland in 1956. He became an excellent golfer, winning local tournaments, was a year round Dalkey-Forty-foot swimmer and qualified to pilot aircraft out of Weston Airfield and gliders out of Baldonnel.

Family and reading

In 1931 he married Marjorie Ann Griffin of Rowlestown, north co. Dublin. They had four sons, Niall Padraig Maire (1932-), Dr. Donal Adrien Maire (1936-1961), Parra Maire (1942-), Ruarí Maire (1944-) and one daughter Orla Maire (1940-). They lived at Rathfarnham, Dublin, where he died unexpectedly in his family home on 19. December, 1995 and is buried at Cruagh cemetery, south Dublin hills. His wife, renowned for her greyhound racing and breeding, preceeded him in 1984.

• Personal Publications:
  • Outline of Evidence: Practice and Proceedure, (1953)
  • Dli na Fiannaise in Eirinn, (1962)
  • The Criminal Law of Ireland, (8th. Edition 1988)
  • Dli Coiriuil na h-Eireann, (1964)
  • Aran Islands of Legend, (3rd. Edition 1967)
  • Ireland: A journey into lost time, (1983)
  • Ireland: Journey to freedom, (1990).

• Other references:
  • Deirdre McQuillan The Aran Sweater, (1993)
  • Liam McNiffe The History of the Garda Síochána, (1997)
  • Ruarí Ó Síocháin Aran Islands - A Journey through changing times,(Video/DVD 2003).