The Gaa v Douglas Hyde: The Removal of Ireland's First President as Gaa Patron by Cormac Moore

Author:Cormac Moore [Moore, Cormac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Sports, Sports & Recreation, Europe, Ireland, Modern, Business Aspects, Biography & Autobiography, 20th Century, History, Political
ISBN: 9781848891524
Google: 8QiWDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 15957154
Publisher: Collins Press
Published: 2012-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Céim sa Teanga was an Irish language book published by the GAA. The GAA financially assisted Irish language movements, such as the Gaelic League, and espoused the use of Irish as the primary spoken langauge in Ireland. The GAA was accused, on many occasions, of paying mere lip service to the Irish language cause. (Courtesy of the GAA Oral History Project)

Connacht

There was a great deal of support in Hyde’s home county for the President. Fr Mahon, president of Roscommon GAA County Board, unable to attend the annual convention, had a letter read out at the Annual Convention of Roscommon GAA County Board. In the letter he stated: ‘Personally, I think that this motion [to remove Hyde] should never have been brought forward. Even when it was brought forward, a distinction could have easily have been made between Dr Hyde as President of this country and An Craoibhín Aoibhinn [Hyde’s nom de plume, meaning ‘Pleasant Little Branch’], founder of the Gaelic League.’28 Claiming Ireland was now emerging as a ‘World Power’ (it is hard to see how he came to such a conclusion), he was more concerned with the Irish language being promoted than the Ban on ‘foreign games’. Fr Mahon also went on to reiterate the complaint that was repeated throughout the country; the GAA was not being rigorous in ensuring only traditional dances were performed at GAA events.29

The Irish language was seen by many in the Irish-Ireland movement, most notably Hyde, as the most important issue to promote, yet the GAA appeared to be less than zealous in its approach to adopting the language. In the past, Hyde had bemoaned the efforts made by the GAA in supporting the Irish language, saying the GAA had not gone far enough.30 Most meetings and correspondences conducted by the GAA were done so in English. In contrast, according to a claim by Hyde, whenever he met with either the Taoiseach, de Valera, or the Tánaiste, Sean T. O’Kelly (who would succeed Hyde as President in 1945), their meetings were conducted as Gaeilge.31 There were many GAA activists, including McNamee and Ó Caoimh, who were also active in the Gaelic League, which makes it all the more surprising that the GAA’s efforts could be so lukewarm towards the native tongue. Some efforts to rectify the situation were taken in 1938 following meetings between the GAA and the Gaelic League at which they agreed to work closer together. At the Central Council Meeting of 17 December 1938, the same meeting where Hyde was removed as patron, the following resolutions were passed with regard to the language: ‘That delegates at the various Conventions should use as much Irish as possible, the revival of Feiseanna throughout the country, that as far as possible that Minor games should be conducted in Irish, and that notices in Cinemas should be in Irish, and that there should be better news items in the Cinemas from the Irish-Ireland point of view.’32 This still suggested only minimal effort was being paid to the Irish language.

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