author
Chonán Maol
Best known by the pen name Conán Maol, this Irish-language writer helped shape modern prose during the Gaelic Revival with polished short stories, historical writing, and fiction.
1 Audiobook
Leabhráin an Irisleabhair—III Seanaid na nGaedheal
by Chonán Maol, Beirt Fhear, Patrick S. (Patrick Stephen) Dinneen, Gruagach an Tobair
About the author
Pádraig Ó Séaghdha (1855–1928), who wrote as Conán Maol, was an Irish-language writer and civil servant from County Kerry. According to the National Database of Irish-Language Biographies, he was born near Kenmare, worked in the customs service, and spent important years in Cardiff and later Belfast, where he became active in teaching and promoting Irish.
He began writing in Irish in the 1890s and earned early recognition for his short stories. ainm.ie notes that Patrick Pearse praised him in 1905 as one of the most deliberately literary Irish-language writers of his time, especially for the finish and artistry of his short fiction. His work also ranged into history and longer fiction, showing how strongly he believed Irish could carry serious modern literature.
Library catalog records connect his pen name with books including An Buaiceas, Éire, and Eoghan Paor. Even from the limited surviving online record, he stands out as a writer closely tied to the energy of the Gaelic Revival and to the growth of Irish prose in the early twentieth century.