Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Were you one of the primary schoolchildren in the late 1930s that collected folklore for the Schools’ Manuscripts Collection? If you were or know of someone who was, the National Folklore Collection, UCD and RTÉ would like to hear from you. County Donegal is one of the first counties in Ireland to have the volumes from the 1930s Schools’ Manuscripts Collection available on-line at www.duchas.ie This digitisation project has been made possible with funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and University College Dublin, in partnership with Fiontar, DCU and the National Folklore Collection, UCD. In order to celebrate the release of this fascinating archive, the National Folklore Collection and RTÉ are producing a documentary on the Schools’ Folklore Collection in County Donegal which will be recorded in mid-April.
“The collection provides a unique insight into folk life and folklore in County Donegal in the late 1930s,” said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer. “We hope that people who were schoolchildren in the late 1930s will get in contact to share their recollections and help to tell the story of this wonderful collection.” The Irish Folklore Commission / Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann was established in 1935 to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. In 1937-1938, the Irish Folklore Commission, in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, initiated a revolutionary scheme in which schoolchildren were encouraged to collect and document folklore and local history. Over a period of eighteen months, over 100,000 children in 5,000 primary schools in twenty-six counties were encouraged to collect folklore material in their home districts on themes such as local history and monuments, folktales and legends, riddles and proverbs, songs, customs and beliefs, games and pastimes, traditional work practices and crafts.
As part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan, the County Donegal Heritage Forum and the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council commissioned a booklet on the 1930s Schools’ Collection in County Donegal. It was researched and written by Dr. Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair, Royal Irish Academy. The booklet will be launched this spring. If you were involved in the collection of material as a National School pupil in the 1930s or know of someone who was, please contact the County Donegal Heritage Office, Donegal County Council, Lifford on (074) 917 2576 or by e-mail at [email protected] or Caoimhe Nic Lochlainn, National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin on (01) 716 8219 or by e-mail at [email protected]
Photo 1 caption:
Extract from the 1930s Schools’ Manuscript Collection highlighting an example of written Irish from the Glenties area. As well as providing much information on the folk life and folklore of County Donegal in the 1930s, the Schools’ Manuscript Collection also contains some fine examples of local artistry and calligraphy.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Joseph Gallagher
Heritage Officer,
County Donegal Heritage Office,
Donegal County Council,
Station Island,
Lifford.
Telephone: (074) 917 2576
E-mail: [email protected]
* * *
An raibh tú ar na daltaí bunscoile a bhailigh béaloideas ar son Bhailiúchán na Scol sna 1930í? Más rud é gur ghlac tú páirt sa scéim, nó má tá aithne agat ar dhuine éigin a ghlac páirt sa scéim, ba mhaith le Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, UCD agus le RTÉ scéala a fháil uait. Tá na himleabhair ó Chontae Dhún na nGall ar na chéad imleabhair ó Bhailiúchán na Scol atá ar fáil ar líne ag www.duchas.ie. Chuir an Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta agus An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath maoiniú ar fáil don tionscnamh digitithe seo, agus tá Fiontar, DCU agus Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann, UCD ag obair i gcomhpháirt lena chéile ar an tionscadal. Ar mhaithe le ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar sheoladh na cartlainne spéisiúla seo, tá Cnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann agus RTÉ ag cur clár faisnéise le chéile faoi Bhailiúchán na Scol, a bheidh á thaifeadadh i lár Mhí Aibreáin.
“Tugann an bailiúchán léargas ar leith ar bhéaloideas agus ar chultúr ábhartha Chontae Dhún na nGall ag deireadh na 1930í,” arsa Joseph Gallagher, Oifigeach Oidhreachta Chontae Dhún na nGall. “Tá súil againn go rachaidh daoine a bhí ina ndaltaí scoile sna 1930í i dteagmháil linn lena gcuid cuimhní cinn a roinnt agus le scéal an bhailiúcháin iontaigh seo a insint.” Bunaíodh Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann i 1935, le béaloideas agus traidisiúin na hÉireann a bhailiú agus a scrúdú. Sna blianta 1937-1938, chuir Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann, i gcomhpháirt leis an Roinn Oideachais agus le Cumann Mhúinteoirí Éireann, scéim cheannródaíoch ar bun inar spreagadh páistí scoile le béaloideas agus stair áitiúil a bhailiú agus a dhoiciméadú. Taobh istigh de thréimhse ocht mí dhéag, bhailigh 100,000 páiste i 5,000 scoil sna sé chontae is fiche ábhar béaloidis ina gceantar dúchais; bhí stair agus séadchomharthaí áitiúla, scéalta béaloidis agus finnscéalta, tomhais agus seanfhocail, nósanna agus creidiúintí, cluichí agus caitheamh aimsire, ceirdeanna agus obair thraidisiúnta i measc na n-ábhar a tógadh.
Mar chuid de Phlean Oidhreachta Chontae Dhún na nGall, rinne Fóram Oidhreachta Chontae Dhún na nGall agus Oifig Oidhreachta Chontae Dhún na nGall, Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall leabhrán a choimisiúnú ar Bhailiúchán na Scol sa chontae. An Dochtúir Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair ó Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann a rinne an taighde agus a scríobh an leabhrán, a bheidh le seoladh san Earrach. Más rud é gur bhailigh tú ábhar mar chuid den bhailiúchán seo, nó má tá aithne agat ar dhuine éigin a ghlac páirt sa scéim, gabh i dteagmháil le hOifig Oidhreachta Chontae Dhún na nGall, Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall, Leifear ar (074) 917 2576, nó ar r-phost ag [email protected], nó le Caoimhe Nic Lochlainn, Cnuasach Béaloideas Éireann, An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath ar (01) 716 8219, nó ar r-phost ag [email protected]
Grianghraf 1, foscríbhinn:
Sliocht ó Bhailiúchán na Scol a thugann sampla den Ghaeilge scríofa sna Gleannta. Tá samplaí áille den challagrafaíocht agus den ealaíontacht áitiúil le fáil sa Bhailiúchán, chomh maith le heolas ar bhéaloideas agus ar chultúr ábhartha Chontae Dhún na nGall sna 1930í.
Má tá tuilleadh eolais uait, gabh i dteagmháil le:
Joseph Gallagher
Heritage Officer,
County Donegal Heritage Office,
Donegal County Council,
Station Island,
Lifford.
Fón: (074) 917 2576
R-phost: [email protected]
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