Dánta Amadóra

Is é atá in Dánta Amadóra, rogha véarsaíochta le Deasún Breatnach, M. Litt., bailithe le chéile thar dhá scór bliain, chomh maith le dánta a scríobh sé i Spáinnis, agus aistriúcháin a rinne sé ón Spáinnis (Borges, García Lorca, Machado), ón Laidin agus ón Iodáilis, inter alia.

I 1921 a rugadh an Breatnach. Le Béarla a tógadh é. Sna caogaidí a thosnaigh sé ag scríobh as Gaeilge agus sna seascaidí a d'fhoilsigh FNT ceithre úrscéal leis as Gaeilge, iad dírithe ar dhéagóirí, a chlann féin san áireamh. Sna hochtóidí, rinne sé cúrsa don M.Litt. i gColáiste na Tríonóide agus ar a thráchtas atá an leabhar Chugat an Púca (An Clóchomhar) bunaithe.

Ar feadh i bhfad bhí aithne ar an mBreatnach in iriseoireacht an Bhéarla in Éirinn agus thar lear, faoin leasainm Rex Mac Gall.

Ba é Tráthscéal Éireann (The Irish Times) a chéadfhoilsigh dán leis, sa bhliain 1944. Sna daichidí, freisin, a bhuaigh sé an chéad chomórtas filíochta a d'eagraigh The Sunday Independent. I ndeireadh na bliana 1997 bhuaigh sé Comórtas Filíochta Sheáin Uí Ríordáin, agus tá na dánta a bhuaigh i gcló den chéad uair in Dánta Amadóra.

Mac leis an bhfile, an t-ealaíontóir clúiteach, Oisín Breatnach, a dhear clúdach Dánta Amadóra.

Tá sé i gceist ag An Clóchomhar bailiúchán gearrscéalta leis an mBreatnach a fhoilsiú go luath amach anseo.

I nGaeilge is mó a scríobhann an Breatnach ar na saolta seo, go háirithe do nuachtán Lá, Béal Feirste. Ach scríobhann sé aistí i mBéarla don Irish Times, agus bhí cuid díobh siúd le feiceáil ar an Idirlíon.

Seisear clainne atá ag an Breatnach agus a chéile, María de la Piedad Lucila: i Maidrid a pósadh iad sa bhliain 1947. Gaeilge agus Spáinnis teangacha an teaghlaigh.

Tá cuideachta EGT ag cur Gaeilge ar earra bog ríomhaireachta ó 1990 i leith. Sa bhliain 1994 a thosnaigh siad ag foilsiú leabhar, agus is é Dánta Amadóra an tríú leabhar dá gcuid a foilsíodh go dtí seo. Tá foclóir mór Cornaise ar na bacáin anois acu, agus súil acu lena fhoilsiú i mbliana.

Tá EGT buíoch den Instituto Cervantes, de Bhord na Gaeilge, den Chomhairle Ealaíon agus de Bhord na Leabhar Gaeilge, as Dánta Amadóra a mhaoiniú.

The book Dánta Amadóra is a selection of verse by Deasún Breatnach, M. Litt., reflecting his work in Irish of over forty years, together with poems by him in Spanish, as well as translations he has made from Spanish (Borges, García Lorca, Machado), from Latin and from Italian, inter alia.

Deasún Breatnach was born in 1921. English was the language of his family. He began writing in Irish in the fifties, and in the sixties FNT published four novels by him in Irish, written for teenagers, including his own children. In the eighties, he completed an M. Litt. course in Trinity College, and his book Chugat an Púca (An Clóchomhar) is based on his thesis.

For many years, he won fame in Ireland and abroad for his journalistic writings under pen-name Rex Mac Gall.

In 1944, The Irish Times was the first to publish a poem by Deasún Breatnach. Also in the forties he won the first poetry competition organized by The Sunday Independent. At the end of the year 1997 he won Comórtas Filíochta Sheáin Uí Ríordáin, and the poems which won are published for the first time in Dánta Amadóra.

The cover of Dánta Amadóra was designed by a son of the poet, the celebrated artist Oisín Breatnach.

An Clóchomhar is planning to publish a collection of Deasún Breatnach's short stories very soon.

Today, he writes mostly in Irish, and most especially for the newspaper Lá, which is based in Belfast. However, he also writes for The Irish Times essays in English, some of which can be seen on the Internet.

Deasún Breatnach and his wife, María de la Piedad Lucila have six children: they were married in Madrid in 1947. Irish and Spanish are the languages of their family home.

The company EGT has been translating computer software into Irish since 1990. They began to publish books in 1994, and Dánta Amadóra is the third of book of theirs to be published to date. On the stocks at the moment they have a massive Cornish dictionary, which they plan to publish later this year.

EGT wishes to thank Instituto Cervantes, Bord na Gaeilge, the Arts Council and Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge, for helping to fund Dánta Amadóra.