Twentieth-Century Gaelic Autobiography: From lieux de mémoire to Narratives of Self-invention

Abstract

Autobiographical writing was a central and defining aspect of twentieth-century Irish-language literary production and is still one of the most prevalent literary genres in the language. The earliest autobiography to be published in book form was Mo Sgéal Féin (My Story, 1915) by Cork-born novelist, critic and language activist An tAthair Peadar Ua Laoghaire (1839– 1920), which records the social background and early life of one of the most active and controversial figures in the Gaelic revival and literary movement. While autobiographical works of different kinds have appeared regularly ever since, the sub-genre to receive the most sustained critical attention to date has undoubtedly been the autobiography of Gaeltacht life, usually the result of a collaborative effort involving an unlettered 'author' and various inter-mediaries. The bulk of this chapter will focus on the importance of this kind of autobiography, though consideration will also be given to other types of life writing, including the accounts of non-native speakers of Irish and texts dealing with particular social, political or cultural experiences, including travel. While accepting the theoretical usefulness of differentiating various forms of life writing – memoir, travel journal, diary, autobiography, auto-ethnography and so on – it will be argued that the mode of production of much Irish-language autobiography has often resulted in the confusion of such generic categories. 1 The chapter will take the form of a historical over-view, identifying key texts and critical approaches, and concluding with a consideration of the relationship between autobiography and Irish-language fiction.