Breathnach, Tomás (c.1867-?)
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 15:41 | by Eoghan
A personal details form (‘Personalbogen’) was completed for each speaker at the Doegen Scheme recording sessions 1928-31. The information displayed below is derived mainly from these forms.
Biographical Note
Breathnach (Walsh), Tomás (Tomas, Thomas) (c.1867-?): Tomás Breathnach was born in Cloghbrack, Clonbur, county Galway, around 1867. His father and brothers were blacksmiths, and he was a national school teacher. He went to primary school in Cloghbrack and later attended a grammar school before going on to teacher training college in Dublin. Apart from this period in Dublin, he appears to have spent his whole life in Galway: in Cloonebrone, Cornamona and Cloghbrack, which is where he was living during the censuses of 1901 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000836893/] and 1911 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002428555/]. He married Mary Walsh around 1904. They had had five children by 1911, four of whom survived. He is named as a storyteller in Tomás Ó Máille, Urlabhraidheacht agus Graiméar na Gaedhilge, Cuid 1 (Dublin, 1927). Some folkloric tales supplied to An Stoc between August 1918 and August 1920 are attributed to 'Tomás Breathnach, gabha [blacksmith]'. Perhaps this is the same informant. For this folkloric material, see Risteárd de hAe, Clár Litridheacht na Nua-Ghaedhilge (Dublin, 1938-40), index.
Personal Details Form ('Personalbogen')
A personal details form (‘Personalbogen’) was completed for each speaker at the Doegen Scheme recording sessions 1928-31. The information displayed below is derived mainly from these forms. | Sex | Male |
|---|---|
| Personalbogen form(s) for this speaker (RIA Library ref.) | Doegen P-B/143 |
| Record number(s) for this speaker | LA 1103 |
| Track title(s) for this speaker | An mac doscaíoch (cuid 1) - Tomás Breathnach (c.1867-?) An mac doscaíoch (cuid 2) - Tomás Breathnach (c.1867-?) |
| Track ID(s) for this speaker (User Version) | LA_1103d1, LA_1103d2 |
| Forename(s) (Canonical) | Tomás |
| Surname (Canonical) | Breathnach |
| Alias forename(s) | No data. |
| Alias surname(s) | No data. |
| County of origin | Co. Galway |
| Address | Cloghbrack, Clonbur, Co. Galway |
| Age | 63 |
| Date of birth | No data |
| Place of birth | Cloghbrack, Clonbur, Co. Galway |
| Nearest big town to place of birth | Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo |
| Place(s) lived age 0-6 | Cloghbrack, Co. Galway |
| Place(s) lived age 7-20 | Cloghbrack, Co. Galway |
| Place(s) lived from age 20 | Cloonbrone (Clonbron); Cornamona; Cloghbrack (all Co. Galway). |
| Education | National school, Cloghbrack, Co. Galway; Grammar school (location?); Teachers' training college, Dublin |
| Father's home place | Cloghbrack, Co. Galway |
| Mother's home place | Kilbeg (3 miles east of Cloghbrack, Co. Galway) |
| Father's profession | Blacksmith |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Mother tongue | Irish |
| Languages spoken other than Irish | No data. |
| Able to read? | Yes (Irish, English and Latin) |
| Able to write? | Yes (Irish and English) |
| Able to play a musical instrument? | No |
| Able to sing or play modern European kinds of music? | Yes |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Profession | School teacher |
| Names (of RIA committee members, recordist) appearing on form | Tomás Ó Máille, L. Ó Buachalla |
| Comment(s) on voice etc. | "deep voice" |
