Seo é an file a leagtar ‘Laoi Oisín ar Thír na nÓg’ air. Ag Eoghan Ó hAnluain in Comhar, Meán Fómhair 1977 (‘Micheál Coimin: stracfhéachaint ar ghnéithe dá shaol’) agus ag Muiris Ó Rócháin in Dál gCais, 1991 (‘Micheál Coimin: Gaelic poet of Miltown Malbay [c.1688–1760]’) tá eolas ar a bheatha agus a shaothar. Tá eolas freisin ag Máirtín Ó Briain in Sages, Saints and Storytellers: Celtic studies in honour of Professor James Carney, 1989, in eagar ag Ó Corrain, Breatnach agus McCone (‘Some material on Oisín in the Land of Youth’). Scríobh Micheál Ó Raghallaigh agus Séamas Mac Cruitín cuntais ghairide sa 19ú haois. Tá aiste chuimsitheach ag Brian Ó Dálaigh faoi in Studia Hibernica 34. Tá eolas ann ar a shinsir siar go dtí 1440.

I gCill Chorcráin in aice le Sráid na Cathrach, Co. an Chláir, a rugadh é. Ba í Joan Fitzgerald a mháthair. Patrick Comyn ab ainm dá athair agus coigistíodh a eastátsan: ní foláir nó is ríogaí a bhí ann aimsir Chromail. Fuair sé feirm ó larla Thuamhumhan i gCill Chorcráin, i bparóiste Chill Fear Buí, i 1675. Deir Brian Ó Dálaigh faoina athair Pádraig Óg: ‘It is likely that this Patrick Oge... , in order to qualify as a land holder, conformed to the Protestant religion.’ Is cosúil gur aistrigh Micheál go dtí an Cheathrú Chaol sa pharóiste céanna ag pointe éigin. Protastúnach be ea é. Sa ghinealach a cumadh dá mhac Micheál, dochtúir sa Fhrainc, deirtear gur de shliocht iarlaí Buchan in Albain muintir Choimin, agus gur phós sé i 1702 Elizabeth Creagh, neacht le Sir Michael Creagh, méara Bhaile Átha Cliath. Deir Seosamh Mac Mathúna in Kilfarboy: a history of a West Clare parish, 1974 go raibh sé pósta roimhe sin ar bhean i nGaillimh. Bhí triúr mac aige, Micheál agus Éamonn beirt acu, agus triúr iníonacha. Deir Ó Raghallaigh agus Mac Cruitín gur le drochmheas ar an nGaeilge a mhill a mhac, Éamonn, is dóigh, a lámhscríbhinní i ndiaidh a bháis. Ach caitheann Ó hAnluain agus Ó Rócháin amhras air sin; níl sé ag teacht leis an scéal atá ag Seosamh Mac Mathúna ná leis an scéal a thaifid Ó Rócháin i 1972: de réir an leagain áitiúil seo bhí an Coimíneach ina bheatha go fóill agus ba í a bhean chéile a mhill na lámhscríbhinní, chuir sise an milleán ar an mac, níor thug seisean aon toradh ar an gcúiseamh sin ach liostáil i mBríogáid na hÉireann sa Fhrainc. Rud eile a chuirfeadh an chéad scéal sin in amhras is ea gur scríobh Sean de hÓra dán molta ar Éamonn. Is é an leagan áitiúil sín atá ag Tomás Ó hAodha sa dráma Seabhac na Ceathramhan Caoile, 1906. Deir Ó hAodha sa réamhrá: ‘The hero of the drama, An Seabhac, was no myth. He was a son of Mícheál Coimin, the author of Laoi Oisín and he lived within a short mile of where I was born. He was an extremely handsome man and of splendid physique. In addition he was possessed of a lion-like courage, was a dexterous swordsman, a noted duellist, and the idol of the people amongst whom he lived... Nearly all the characters in Seabhac na Ceathramhan Caoile lived, moved and had their being during the period (1740–1750) to which the drama refers, and many of the incidents and situations in the drama have been taken from events which occurred in the family of Mícheál Cuimín. It will, therefore, be seen that I have gone back to the traditions of the people among whom I was born for the materials for my drama’ (i gcló ag Ó hAnluain).

Tá ceathrú leis i gcló in Dánfhocail. Irish epigrams is verse, collected and edited by T.F O'Rahilly[Ó Rathile B2], 1921 : ‘Inár sost go fóill is fearr sinn /’s an tórmach seo ’nár n-intinn, / ua na dtriath ba tréine i dtreas, / ar eagla céim dár n-aimhleas’. Chuir file darbh ainm Toirdhealbhach Mac Mathúna dánta chuige agus tá siad in eagar ag Ó hAnluain in Féilscribhinn Thomáis de Bhaldraithe, 1986 (‘Comhfhreagras Fileata ó Chontae an Chláir’). Freagra is ea an cheathrú ar cheann de na dánta. Ag tagairt don fhreagra dúirt an Rathileach: ‘It would seem, just then at least, Mícheál Cuimín was inclined to be very circumspect, if not timid, in his relations towards the English authorities, and did not relish a “seditious document”, like the poem in question, being addressed to him’ (Dánfhocail). Tá eachtra na cúirte nuair a thug sé fianaise aistritheora ar amhrán Sheoin Uí Uaithnín a bheith Seacaibíteach inste san iontráil faoin bhfile sin. Míníú, b’fhéidir, is ea loiteadh úd na lámhscríbhinní ar gan ach tuairim deich gcinn de dhánta Choimín a bheith ar marthain. Le bean a d’fhuadaigh sé. Harriet Stacpoole, a bhaineann trí cinn díobh; in The Hidden Ireland: a study of Gaelic Munster in the eighteenth century, 1924 ní shíleann Domhnall Ó Corcora gur choir thromchúiseach an fuadach ach rud a bhí coitianta i measc scuibhéiríní Angla-Éireannacha (‘it was a favourite recreation with the bloods of the time’) agus deir sé: ‘Sharing thus both in the recklessness of the Anglo-Irishman and in the traditions of the Gael, he is a most interesting figure and one regrets the want of further information.’ Chuir sé suim, b’fhéidir, sa diospóireacht a bhí ar siúl i dtaobh stairsheanchas na hÉireann; dúirt Theophilus O’Flanagan in Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, 1786 gur aistrigh sé cuid de ‘Foras Feasa na hÉireann’ le Céitinn go Béarla le súil go bhfoilseofaí é (‘He made a translation of Keating which he intended to publish but death prevented the execution of his design and the manuscript has since been lost’).

In 1893 d’fhoilsigh Pádraig Ó Briain an dá scéal a scríobh sé, Eachtra Thoirdhealbhaigh mhic Stairn, maille le Eachtraibh a thriuir mhac, do réir mar a sgriobhadh iad le Mícheál Coimín. Chuir Eoghan Ó NeachtainTorolbh Mac Stairn ar fáil i 1922. Ar feadh breis is céad bliain bhí cóipeanna diobh á ndéanamh agus á gcur sa timpeall i gContae an Chláir. Le haimsir Fhinn Mhic Cumhaill a bhaineann na scéalta seo agus deireann Cathal Ó Háinle in Promhadh Pinn, 1978 (‘An tÚrscéal nár tháinig’): ‘Scéal rómánsaíochta agus casadh maoithneach ann is ea an scéal sin, agus tá casadh den chineál céanna sa scéal eile a chum an Coimíneach, Eachtra Chloinne Thoroilbh. Ach bíodh is gur bhain Ó Coimin casadh as an traidisiún rómánsúil, ní féidir úrscéal a thabhairt ar cheachtar den dá scéal sin mar a rinne [Alan] Bruford [in Gaelic Folktales and Mediaeval Romances, 1969], mar nach bhfuil aon iarracht iontu ar scagadh a dhéanamh ar charachtar na bpearsana.’

Is é ‘Laoi Oisín ar Thír na nÓg’ an saothar is mó a luaitear a ainm leis. Brian Ó Luanaigh is túisce a thuairimigh gurbh é Coimín a chum agus ba é ba thúisce a chuir in eagar é, mar chuid d’imeachtai an Chumainn Oisínigh (Laoidh Oisín ar Thir na nÓg. The Land of Youth. Edited [with translation and notes] by Bryan O’Looney, 1859). Is dóigh gurbh é Brian freisin faoi deara an cló a cuireadh amach i dTrá Lí in 1863, The Land of Youth, an Ossianic Poem, metrically translated by a member of the Ossianic Society [by M.C.]. Deir R.I. Best gurbh é Dáithí Coimín a chuir eagar ar Laoidh Oisín ar Thír na nÓg (The Lay of Oisin on the Land of the Young.) Carefully revised and edited with a new literal translation, and copious vocabulary. By members of the Council of the Society for the Preservation of the Irish Language, 1880. I ndiaidh dó gach taobh den scéal a iniúchadh deir Máirtin Ó Briain: ‘Finally, as regards authorship, all we have to go on is O’Looney’s “conviction” that Michael Comyn composed the lay. However, even if we do not accept this ascription, as I am inclined not to, there is evidence to suggest that the lay was composed in Co. Clare in the eighteenth century.’ Pléann Brian Ó Dálaigh a shaothar fileata, idir dhánta grá agus dhánta polaitiúla, na haistriúcháin a rinne sé, agus a shaothar próis. Tar éis dó ‘Laoi Oisín i dTír na nÓg’ a phlé deir sé: ‘To conclude then, the case remains unproven, while it is certainly possible that Micheál Coimín could have written the poem, there is no solid historical evidence that would validate such an attribution.’

Chuaigh a mhac Michael, a rugadh i gCill Chorcráin i 1704, chun na Fraince agus thabhaigh clú dó féin mar dhochtúir. Tá eolas ina thaobh ag Richard Hayes in Biographical Dictionary of Irishmen in France agus eolas freisin ar a mhacsan, Jean Francois Comyn. Díreach roimh an muirthéacht bhí seisean ina rúnaí ag an Duc de Breteuil, duine de phríomhphearsana rialtas na Fraince agus ar dhuine é de shliocht Bhrianaigh Thuamhumhan. Nuair a d’fhág an diúc an Fhrainc d’fhan an Coimíneach i bPáras agus gilitíneadh é.

Diarmuid Breathnach

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