The village of Carraig an bhFear is hosting a one day seminar to celebrate the history and unique cultural heritage of the area on Saturday, November 23 in the Sacred Heart College. The seminar is the final Gathering event of a series that were held in the village throughout the year.

Carraig na bhFear is renowned as the birth place of some of the most important poets of the Gaelic tradition, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was said to rival the Louvain School in the production of poetry and religious literature. In the centre of the village is a monument,‘Faiche na bhFilí’, which has the names of 13 of these poets inscribed upon it.

Successive presidents have recognised the importance of their contribution to the Gaelic tradition and have come to Carraig na bhFear to honour them. In 1962, President Eamonn de Valera came to the village to unveil the monument and in May 4th of this year President Michael D. Higgins came to re-dedicate the monument on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its unveiling.

In his speech President Higgins said that wherever in the world the people of Carraig na bhFear go, they can always be proud to say - “I come from a place where we honour poets”. Therefore, in order to truly honour our poets and to ensure that future generation are informed and inspired by their legacy, it was decided to hold a seminar on Saturday, 23rd November.

The organising committee are very happy to present a very distinguished list of speakers.

Historical context and the circumstances that gave rise to this unique tradition will be given by John A Mulcahy in a walk and talk in the grounds of the Sacred Heart College which was until 1924, the seat of the descendants of the McCarthys of Muskerry. The title of his talk is ‘Chieftains, Landlords and Patrons; the McCarthys of Carraig na bhFear’.

This will be followed by two speakers whose talks will focus on the most prolific of the poets. Professor Padraig Ó’Macháin will tell us about “Seán Ó Murchú na Ráithíneach: an eighteenth-century scribe and poet” who by his poems recorded the happenings and doings of the parish for nearly half a century. Dr Meidhbhín Ní Úrdail will speak about Michaél Ó’Longáin, who arrived in the parish around the time of the death of Sean na Ráithíneach. He and his son Micheál Óg left a legacy of over 70 manuscripts and 300 poems.

The next speaker is Mike Murphy who was born and lives in the neighbouring parish of Glenville and is joint editor of the ‘The Atlas of the Great Irish Famine’- Winner of the Best Irish Published Book of the Year for 2012. President Higgins described it as an “extraordinary book, which provides a framework for the final breaking of all the silences of the famine”. Mike will speak about the impact of the famine in Carraig na bhFear and the surrounding area.

A question and answer session will be chaired by Denis Burns of Carraig na bhFear.

Liam Spillane will give a short talk on the poetry of the ‘ordinary’ people of the area in the more recent past.

Lunch will be followed by a musical interlude of 40 minutes which will showcase our local talent and the poetry that has been set to music.

Attendees can choose to take part in a variety of activities in the afternoon. There is a bus tour to the places of interest that are associated with the poets such as the homestead of the most beloved of the poets, Tadgh O’Donnchadha, who used the pseudonym ‘Torna’ and who was the first professor of Irish in UCC.

A poetry workshop will be facilitated by the award winning and internationally recognised poet - Doireann Ní Griofa.

For people in need of some exercise, a set-dancing workshop will be hosted by John Cronin.

In the spirit of the Year of the Gathering, three school reunions were held in the parish recently and as a result, a large collection of old photographs have been gathered. These will be exhibited on the day and also the photographs that were taken at the three reunions.

Local national school teacher, Joe Hanafin has recorded the oral testimony of local people who took part in a pageant for the visit of Eamonn de Valera in 1962 and other interesting events of past decades. These interviews can be viewed on the Saturday afternoon.

This is a day not to be missed. It is a Gathering event and is free of charge.

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