Cur síos

Is é An Óige agus an Athbheochan an chéad mhonagraf a dhíríonn ar an gcaidreamh idir an óige agus stair na Gaeilge. I rith thréimhse na hAthbheochana tháinig daoine fásta ar an tuiscint go raibh slánú na Gaeilge ag brath ar an aos óg, agus thapaigh siad an deis an t-aos óg a mhealladh i dtreo na teanga. Cuireadh cumainn drámaíochta agus spóirt ar bun; foilsíodh colúin i nuachtáin agus litríocht don aos óg; tháinig feiseanna ar an bhfód agus cuireadh tús leis an nós an t-aos óg a sheoladh chuig coláistí samhraidh sa Ghaeltacht. Ba mhór an bhearna idir eispéireas an aosa óig sna ceantair uirbeacha agus sna ceantair Ghaeltachta, áfach, agus tugtar léargas úr sa leabhar seo ar an gcaoi a ndeachaigh gluaiseacht na hAthbheochana i bhfeidhm orthu araon. Déanann an leabhar seo mionscrúdú ar iarrachtaí lucht na hAthbheochana chun an t-aos óg a earcú agus a chur ag obair ar son na Gaeilge.

Bronnadh duais ar an saothar seo i gComórtas Liteartha an Oireachtais 2021.

An Óige agus an Athbheochan is the first monograph that focuses on the relationship between the youth and the history of Irish. During the period of the Irish revival adults realised that the salvation of the Irish language depended on the youth, and they seized the opportunity to entice them towards the language. Drama groups and sport groups were established; columns were published in newspapers and in literature for the youth; festivals appeared and the custom of sending young people to summer colleges in the Gaeltacht began. There was a huge gap between the experience of the youth in urban areas and those in Gaeltacht areas, however, and a new insight is given in this book as to how the Irish revival movement affected them both. This book closely examines the attempts of the Irish revival movement to recruit the youth and put them to work for the benefit of the Irish language.

This book was awarded a prize in the Oireactas Literary Competitions in 2021.