Bhásaigh Tomás sa Chatalóin ar an 18ú Feabhra. Rugadh é i mBaile Átha Cliath in 1938. Bronnadh dochtúireacht air sa bhitheolaíocht ó Ollscoil Cornell agus chaith sé tréimhsí ag múineadh i gColáiste Teicniúil Réigiúnda Shligigh agus in Institiúid na Teicneolaíochta (Sráid Chaoimhín), atá anois mar chuid d’Ollscoil Theicniúil Bhaile Átha Cliath.
Bhí dlúthbhaint aige le cúrsaí Gaeilge, ghlac sé páirt san fheachtas ar son bealach teilifíse Gaeilge, bhí sé mar eagarthóir ar an nuachtán Gaeilge ANOIS sna 1990dí agus ar an irisleabhar cúrsaí reatha agus litríochta COMHAR i rith na mblianta 1988 go 1995.
D’fhoilsigh sé cnuasaigh fhilíochta, gearrscéalta agus úrscéalta. Bronnadh gradam mór le rá an tOireachtas air in 2005 agus 2007. D’aistrigh sé neart filíochta ón Spáinnis agus Catalóinis go Gaeilge. D’oibrigh Mac Síomóin i gcomhar le Douglas Sealy ar aistriúcháin ar fhilíocht Mháirtín Uí Dhireáin, príomhfhile na Gaeilge, go Béarla.
Tháinig go leor paimfléid agus leabhair óna pheann a rinne cíoradh ar thionchar nimhneach an choilíneachais ar Éirinn agus ar an nGaeilge. Foilsíodh a thráchtanna ar chúrsaí cultúrtha agus sóisialta mar shraith chúig leabhrán idir na blianta 2004 agus 2006. Ba ghráin leis an nualiobrálachas agus d’fhoilsigh sé neart ábhar a cháin an fhealsúnacht úd, mar shampla The Broken Harp: Identity and Language in Modern Ireland (2014) agus an leabhar a tháinig sna sála air The Gael Becomes Irish: the prospects for the Irish language in Ireland today. (2020).
Bhog sé go dtí an Chatalóin sa bhliain 1996 áit ar fhoghlaim sé an Chatalóinis agus an Spáinnis. Thagair sé go minic don chos ar bolg a bhí á imirt ag an Spáinnis ar an gCatalóinis agus na cosúlachtaí idir sin agus cás an Bhéarla agus na Gaeilge in Éirinn. Chualathas é go minic mar iriseoir agus tráchtaire raidió ar Raidió na Gaeltachta maidir le cúrsaí na Catalóine.
Tuairiscítear go mbeidh a chorp á chréamadh sa Chatalóin agus a luaithreach á scaipeadh i sléibhte na bPiréiní áit ar lonnaíodh cuid dá húrscéalta. Cuimhneofar é ní hamháin dá bhuanna litríochta ach dá obair ar son na Gaeilge agus ar son teangacha agus cultúir eile atá faoi chois.
Cathal Ó Luain, Tionólaí an Chonartha Cheiltigh
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Death of Tomás Mac Siomóin, Irish Language Poet, Author and Polemicist
Tomás died in Catalonia on the 18th of Feb. He was born in Dublin in 1938. He received a PhD from Cornell University in Biology and taught in Sligo Regional Technical College and the Institute of Technology (Kevin St.), now part of Technological University Dublin.
He was very involved in Irish language affairs, campaigned for an Irish TV channel, was editor of the Irish language paper ANOIS in the 1990s and of the current affairs and literary magazine COMHAR from 1988 to 1995.
He published collections of poetry, short stories, and novels. He was awarded the prestigious Oireachtas prizes in 2005 and 2007. He engaged in many translations into Irish of Catalan and Spanish poetry. He collaborated with Douglas Sealy in translating the poems of Máirtín Ó Direáin, the premier Irish language poet, into English.
He wrote many pamphlets and books on the harmful lasting effects of colonialism in Ireland and on the Irish language. His comments on cultural and social affairs were published in a series of five booklets between 2004 and 2006. He was a critic of neo-liberalism, publishing much scathing material on it. One such notable book was The Broken Harp: Identity and Language in Modern Ireland (2014). The sequel was The Gael Becomes Irish: the prospects for the Irish language in Ireland today. (2020).
He moved to Catalonia in 1996 where he learned Catalan (and Spanish) and often outlined how Spanish was oppressing Catalan and the parallels with English and Irish in Ireland. He often worked as a journalist and as a radio commentator on RnaG on matters in Catalonia.
It was reported that he will be cremated in Catalonia and his ashes scattered in the Pyrenees Mountains where some of his novels were situated. He will be remembered not alone for his literary achievements but for his work for Irish and other threatened languages and cultures.
Cathal Ó Luain, Celtic League Convenor.