Biographical Note

Ó Lócháin (Lohan), Tomás (Tom, Tam Mheait) (1864-1942): He was born in Camderry, county Galway, in 1864, and baptised 9 January that year. He received little formal education. His father was a farmer, but when his landlord ended his lease he went to England to work, and later Tomás went with him. According to the Personal-Bogen form, he spent a total of 44 years in England. When his father-in-law died in 1901 he spent periods at home working as a farm labourer for the landlord. He married Máire Ní Chatháin, of Camderry, on 14 February 1897, and is recorded as living with his wife’s family in the censuses of 1901 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000816948/] and 1911 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002392618/]. He and his wife appear to have had no children. He died a widower on 24 August 1942 and was buried in Kilbegnet, county Roscommon. A variety of his folkloric material as well as some of his poetic compositions were published in An t-Éireannach, Ar Aghaidh, Béaloideas, Gearrbhaile and other publications. A good deal of folkloric material collected from him is housed in the National Folklore Collection, UCD. An account of him appeared in An t-Éireannach (28/9/1935), and Eric Mac Fhinn published ‘An Dá shaol—seanchaí Chamdhoire’ in An t-Éireannach on (2/11/1935) and 'Seanchaidhthe chliumhala II. Tom Mheat' in Ar Aghaidh (February, 1936). An essay about his trips to England was published in Ar Aghaidh (April 1938). An obituary by Eric Mac Fhinn was published in Béaloideas 12 (June-December, 1942) and a biographical note appears in Ainm.ie at http://www.ainm.ie/Bio.aspx?ID=758.

Personal Details Form ('Personalbogen')