Péintéir ba ea é agus ball tábhachtach den Chumann Gaelach i nDroichead Átha. Bhí pictiúir aige i dtaispeántais an Royal Hibernian Academy idir 1827 agus 1847. Deir Strickland in Dictionary of Irish Artists go raibh sé i scoileanna ealaíne an RDS in 1825 agus gur in 1827 a chuir sé faoi i nDroichead Átha. Deir D.J. O’Donoghue (Poets of Ireland ..., 1912) gur sa bhaile sin a rugadh é. Portráidí ba ea é agus bhí líníocht á múineadh aige freisin. ‘A striking likeness but badly executed’ an cur síos in Freeman’s Journal 6 Iúil 1831 ar a phortráid de Maurice O’Connell. Bhí pictiúr dar teideal ‘Milesian matron directing native Innocence to Heaven’ i gceann de na taispeántais; 21 pictiúr ar fad a luaitear leis. Thug sé cuireadh do Pheadar Ó Gealacáin teacht go Droichead Átha chun roinnt amhrán Gaeilge a scríobh síos dó agus thug scilling sa lá dó. Rinne Peadar lámhscríbhinní dó. Bhí chomhfhreagras ar siúl aige le Roibeard Mac Ádhaimh agus in I mBéal Feirste Cois Cuain tugann Breandán Ó Buachalla an litir a scríobh sé ina molann sé go bhfostódh Mac ÁdhaimhNioclás Ó Cearnaigh mar chúntóir.

In Seanchas Ard Mhacha 1958/9 tá cuntas ag Séamus P. Ó Mordha air (‘Robert S. MacAdam’s Louth Correspondents 1831-45’). Deir sé go raibh deartháir leis ina phortráidí freisin, gurbh é an Tomaltach seo an duine a d’aithris an laoi Fiannaíochta a chuala J.G. Kohl, an taistealaí Gearmánach a thug cuairt ar an gcumann i nDroichead Átha. Tuairimíonn sé gur sa cheantar sin a rugadh é. Is i litriú foghraíochta atá lámhscríbhinn Ghaeilge dá dhéantús in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann. Bhí beartaithe aige bailiúchán d’amhráin Ghaeilge maille le ceol agus aistriúcháin a fhoilsiú agus is chuige sin a bhí Peadar Ó Gealacáin fostaithe aige. D’fhoilsigh sé giotaí in Drogheda Argus sna 1850idí. ‘The translations are turgid unreadable compositions, filled with echoes of Macpherson, the Arabian Nights and the most exaggerated bombast of the Romantic School,’ a deir an Mórdhach. Is mar seo a chuir sé síos ar a phlean sa litir chuig Mac Ádhaimh ar 30 Deireadh Fómhair 1843: ‘... I am preparing for publication a large and varied collection of the most beautiful Irish poems and songs with the unpublished melodies and I am preparing suitable translations of them in Osianic [sic] metre .... As the Celtic language is the venerable parent from which all languages have eminated [sic] I propose next preparing similar editions for the linguists of these nations and the only change that would be requisite in the order of such a publication would be to simply give a French, a German or an Italian version of the English Osianic metre and the work would be as much theirs as ours in as much as the Céalte, or universal language, is their primitive tongue also tho’ it has been for ages lost to them.’

I litir inar iarr sé teastas ar Mhac Ádhaimh deir sé: ‘Revd Dr McKay has just been speaking to me to open an Irish class at the Drogheda school, as many of the young gentlemen are most desirous to learn the Language .... You were pleased to say that my translation of “The Vital Spark” breathed more of the vernacular Irish than the translations of Rev Dr McCale [sic] and that for native pathos my translations of the poets were similar in style to the most exquisite of our Bardic remains or something to this effect .... As poor Revd [Thomas] Burke is gone, I must bestir myself to keep the language alive in this district. I have been at the Irish College of Stackallen [Coláiste Naomh Columba i Ráth Fearnáin ina dhiaidh sin] a few weeks since and lunched with the Irish professors. If I had the Irish class once organised in the Drogheda School exclusive of the usual rudimental classes practised at Colleges and seminaries I would at intervals sing and recite many of the choisest [sic] of our native minstrelsy and bardic remains on the principles which I have already explained to you.’

Is mar seo a thug Kohl suntas do scéalaí úd Chumann GaelachDhroichead Átha: ‘The first person who came forward was an Irish declaimer, a man from among the people—I know not whether a gardener, a ploughman or a “broken farmer” but I was told he knew a countless number of old Irish songs. He came in and addressed me: “Out of friendship for him [Fr Burke] I am come: he told me that there was a foreigner here who wished to hear some of our old Irish poems and I will gladly recite to him what I know.” “I am very much obliged to you”, said the priest, “but if you were to recite all you know we would be obliged to listen to you all night and perhaps many other nights as well” .... The man began to declaim [the story of Cuchullain] and recited for a quarter of an hour without stopping. I of course did not understand a single word of all this recitation and my host was kind enough to relate the story to me afterwards. To understand, however, was not so much my object as to convince myself, by my own ears, that this old Ossianic poetry is still living extant here in Ireland among the people. The reciter was, as I have said, a simple man and his recitation was as simple, unadorned and undeclamatory as himself. Sometimes, however, when carried away by the beauty of the poetry and the ideas, he became animated and even appeared very much affected; he would then look at his hearers as if he expected their admiration for himself and his poem.’ I reilig na seanmhainistreach ar Chnoc Shláine, Co. na Mí, a cuireadh é. Is leac thuama galánta go maith a tógadh ag an uaigh. Dar leis an inscríbhinn go raibh ‘Bernard Tumulti’ ina 62ú bliain. I mí Feabhra a d’éag sé ach níl an bhliain inléite. Thuigfeá ó thagairt in Drogheda Argus in 1869 go raibh sé ina bheatha go fóill an bhliain sin ach ní raibh teastas báis ar fáil idir sin agus 1892.

Diarmuid Breathnach

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