Sean Og O Tuama

Subject: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Eamon
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 11:50 AM

I'm looking for information on the author and musician Sean Og O Tuama. So far I've only come across scraps about his publications and his death in the 1980s. Can anyone be a bit more specific and put his career in context?

Thanks!

See also: De Barra family ancestry (harps)

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 12:01 PM

Interesting. His name turned up on Mudcat lately in the context of a particular song - for the first time, I reckon.

I have at least one of his books (An Grá in Amhráin na nDaoine ) but can't immediately think where to lay hands on a biography. If you're within reach of Dublin, a visit to ITMA (The Irish Traditional Music Archive) or, perhaps, Connradh na Gaeilge, might be your best bet. If not - sit tight! We'll find something!

Regards

p.s. I have a feeling I actually met the man once about 35 years ago - at a scientific conference, strangely enough!

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 12:06 PM

Wikipedia will give you a starting point:

Click here

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:22 PM

Seán Ó Tuama

http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/migration/professor-sean-o-tuama-134781.html

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,999
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:23 PM

That was me.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Eamon
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:40 PM

Thanks for your help everyone. I came across the wiki article, but I think Professor O Tuama is a different person to Sean *Og* O Tuama, who was a harpist and collector. I came across the name while researching 'Deus Meus adiuva me', recorded by Na Fili back in the 1970s, a song which I know has generated much discussion here. It appears Og O Tuama either wrote or adapted the melody most often associated with 'Deus Meus'. I remember reading or hearing somewhere he died in the 1980s. He gets a brief mention in O Canainn's 'Traditional Music' as the author/editor of a book called 'An Choisir Cheoil' but that's about as much as I have to go on. Thanks again everyone for your quick response and assistance. Much appreciated!

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,999
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 02:52 PM

You are so right, Eamon. My apologies.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 05:47 PM

Mmmm... Looks like I had the right man in my head - but the wrong book. Sean Og (1912 - 1980?) published a set of booklets of songs in Irish called "An Choisir Cheoil" - of which I have one! For a photo of the man:

Click here.

- and it was he I met at the conference, rather than Prof. Sean O Tuama!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 06:05 PM

On the macaronic "Deus meus adiuva me":

In the Coisir Cheoil booklet I have (No. 7), Sean Og says, in rough translation:
-------------------------------------------
Composed by a Derry poet, Maeliosa O Brolchain, who died in 1086. There is a copy in the Book of Lismore and in the Murphy Manuscript in Maynooth College.

---------------------------------
"Composed" probably refers to the words, in this instance.

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Eamon
Date: 27 Jan 12 - 07:54 PM

Martin, you're a gem! I'm actually trying to follow up on Og O Tuama for a footnote in my PhD thesis - I'll be sure to give you a shout in my acknowledgements!

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 03:38 AM

GUESTEamon

You're welcome!It won't be the first time my name has appeared in such august (or even january) surroundings!

Regards

p.s.Where you studying?

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: maeve
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 06:08 AM

Any connection? Eamonn De Barra, Seán Óg Ó Tuama...

Mary O'Hara "learnt many of the songs...from Sean Og O'Tuam

http://www.gourd.com/Mary McLaughlinGaelicChristlinernotesgm.html
"8. Suantraí Na Maighdine (sooantree na majina) "The Virgin's Lullaby"

Seán Óg Ó Tuama was a contemporary Irish songwriter and singer who passed in the early 1980s. He wrote many beautiful Christmas hymns in the Irish language, this being my personal favourite. A simple lullaby sung to a child by his mother who marvels at the miracle before her…

'I adore my little child Sleep little child safely...'"

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 06:21 AM

Maeve

Yes - I saw that first clip. As you probably know, Twomey/O Tuama is a common surname in Ireland - and the tradition of using "Og" to distinguish a son from his father of the same name is also very common. I don't know if there is any connection in this case.

Sean Og's enduring impact seems to have been through the Coisir Cheoil booklets/book which were extensively used in schools. He also presented and sang on radio and TV and adjudicated at singing competitions of various types. There's probably archive material available from RTE - which is why I suggested a visit to ITMA.

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: maeve
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 06:31 AM

Yes, I'm sure there are many and sundry persons of that same name. Not being familiar with his life and work made it tricky for me to know what might be relevant. Their discussion being about music, and including children singing the song featured in the video, gave me cause to wonder about a connection.

I enjoyed learning about the gentleman. I did see some of his booklets for sale online, but that's not in the budget at the moment. I'm glad to know they exist.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 06:46 AM

The booklets turn up fairly regularly in antiquarian bookshops and at book fairs, in my experience. The one I have in my hand is in excellent condition and, if the pencilled price on the cover is to be trusted, I paid £1 for it!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 06:56 AM

OK. I've listened fully to that video (first of maeve's links above). The oldest of the three men talking at the start is SEAMUS Og O Tuama - Seán Óg's nephew! They're actually discussing Seán's work - at one stage they have a booklet titled "An Claisceadal" - the name of a choir he directed - and also the name used for the publishers of An Coisir Cheoil .

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: maeve
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 07:06 AM

£1? That would be in the budget! If I ever get over there I'll watch for the booklets. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Eamon
Date: 28 Jan 12 - 10:15 AM

Thanks Maeve, this is all very useful! Amazing what turn up when people put their heads together.

Martin - I'm at Queen's In Belfast. Your name has been duly lauded in the draft!

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Mairin
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 12:17 PM

I was very friendly with Sean Og when I lived in Dublin in the fifties. He taught science at a vocational school and of course was into music. He told me he was never allowed to be in a lab by himself because of his being a supporter of the I.R.A. His father was a professor and was, of, course Sean O Tuama. The last time I met him was in 1969 when I visited Ireland. He took me around Dublin and showed me the television tower. He and I spoke Irish Gaelic togther. He was a wonderful person.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: MartinRyan
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 12:41 PM

You can now see the Claisceadal leaflets online at the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

Click here

Regards

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: maeve
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 12:59 PM

Oh my! Thank you very much, Martin Ryan!

Maeve

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Apr 16 - 04:03 PM

There are a lot of Sean O Tuamas out there!

According to ainm.ie, Seán Fear Ó Tuama, the father of Seán Óg, has dates of 1882-1972, and was interned more than once between 1920 and 1925. With his wife, Síle Ní Mhurchú, he had five children. I can identify three of the five. They are obviously Seán Óg, the musician; Máire; and Séamus. The last of the three, Séamus, was an actor with a day job (civil service), who married Róisín Ní Shé the singer and harp player. Eamonn de Barra, featured several posts back in a linked video, is their grandson. So, as someone surmised earlier, there is a blood relation.

The ainm.ie biography entry (in Gaelic) says that Seán Óg's mother Síle had a great repertoire of songs, and from her, he learned songs in both Gaelic and English.

Subject: Irish Times quote
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Apr 16 - 01:37 PM

Diarmuid Breathnach and Máire Ní Mhurchú are the authors of the ainm.ie biographical entry, under copyright to Cló Iar-Chonnacht (2015), for Ó Tuama. Like all the entries at this website, the biographical note is in Gaelic. But they could not omit from, Ó Tuama's entry, a quote from the English-language Irish Times. No date, but appears to have been part of an obituary/memorial.

Attributed to journalist Liam Ó Murchú:

"It is no exaggeration to say that, if the [Irish] language is to be saved, it will in no small measure have been due to him more than to anyone else because, at a crucial time in the life of the language, he taught a whole generation a love for the songs, and they lead us more compellingly to the language than, perhaps, any other element in that scene."

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 05 Apr 16 - 02:47 PM

[i]Like all the entries at this website, the biographical note is in Gaelic. [/i]

There's a button top right on their page: eolas/info. This button gives you the option to see the website in Irish or in English.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Apr 16 - 01:38 PM

With the help of Google Translate, my efforts below are derived from the ainm.ie Gaelic written by Diarmuid Breathnach and Máire Ní Mhurchú.

[quote]
The mother of Seán Óg had a great and varied repertoire of songs. He studied singing with Mrs. Geraldine [Ghearóidín] Neeson; in Cork he studied music with Aloys Fleischmann; and appears to have been greatly influenced by Father Séamus Ó Floinn. The gClaisceadal in Dublin, had been previously directed, from 1927, by Fionán Mac Coluim, Colm Ó Lochlainn and Micheál Ó Siochrú. In 1949 Seán was invited to start the chorus up again [?]. He used to conduct the choral singing and teach the song repertoire. He was deemed the right person for this responsibility, not only because of his erudition and his abilities, but also because of his enthusiasm for songs from any and all areas of the Gaeltacht. 120 songs from the repertoire which he taught, were published in a series of a dozen booklets titled An Chóisir Cheoil. Consequently, a delegation of the Recital Committee towards Radio Éireann instituted "Claisceadal an Radio."
[Sorry this is clumsy. This is difficult to penetrate with the translate program!]
Sean was the director and this small group performed in Recitals By the Liffey for the next 11 years. He released a recorded album of their music.
[endquote]

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Learaí na Láibe
Date: 06 Apr 16 - 06:08 PM

That seems a quite good translation, keberoxu. Especially as Google translate is usually very inaccurate when dealing with Irish.

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Oct 16 - 08:52 AM

Kenny's bookshop in Galway Is a good place to search.
He wrote a collection of songs entitled Lairín O Lurtha, my understanding is that it contains many songs that Mary O Hara sang and is referenced as a source by Padrigín in her booklet accompanying her cd A Stór A Storín. It is out of print ATM but would be an amazing resource to have!

Subject: RE: Sean Og O Tuama
From: GUEST,Aifric
Date: 20 Jan 24 - 12:27 PM

Sean Óg was a friend of my fathere Colm ó Lochlainn ( largely credited as the energy behind Claisceadal ) and they collaborated , as far as I know ... I have a sense that some of his collections, such as Cóisir Cheoil, may have been printed at The Sign of the Three Candles .. but I m not a good one for dates . . correct me if anyone has more precise knowledge..