Séimí Mac Aindreasa is from the Shaws Road Gaeltacht in Belfast. His stories have been published in three anthologies and online. There is an English translation of this tribute below:
Blianta fada ó shin, agus mé i mo dhéagóir, bhí mé ag seinm drumaí i racghrúpa le mo chairde. Níl mé ag rá go raibh muid rómhaith, ach an difir idir muid féin agus na sluaite grúpaí eile i mBéal Feirste ag an am, na gur sheinn muid cuid d’ár n-amhráin i nGaeilge, agus ba sin an t-aon leithscéal a bhí de dhith ar Ghearóid Ó Cairealláin.
Oíche amháin, agus muid ag freastail ar cheolchoirm de chuid an ghrúpa Na Fíréin i gCumann Chluain Ard, chuaigh Gearóid ar an ardán le linn an tsosa, agus d’fhógair sé go raibh grúpa Gaeilgeoirí óga sa lucht féachana, a bhí ag seinm iad féin trí mheán na Gaeilge. D’iarr sé bualadh bos mór ón scaifte, agus is mar sin a thug muidne tacaíocht do ceann de na grúpaí Gaelacha is mó sa tír ag an am.
Sin mar a d’oibir Gearóid. Ní fhaca sé fadhbanna nó bacanna: chonaic sé féidearthachtaí agus deiseanna. Chonaic sé bealaigh chun an teanga agus an cultúr a chur amach ansin i mbéal an phobail, bíodh sin fríd nuachtáin, drámaí, oideachas nó ceol. Ba dhuine é a chreid go dian sa mhana – Ná habair é, déan é. Easpa ionad cultúrtha? Oscail cultúrlann. Ganntanas nuachtáin Gaelacha? Bunaigh nuachtán Gaelach. Barraíocht Béarla ar na haerthonnta? Seol stáisiún raidió lán-Ghaelach. Níor bhac sé le fiosrú an dtiocfadh rud a dhéanamh – rinne sé é agus phléigh sé leis na fadhbanna ina dhiaidh sin. Fiú an stróc a bhuail é i 2006, bhain sé tairbhe as sin, ag scríobh an dráma, The Wheelchair Monologues.
Is i réimse na craoltóireachta a raibh an aithne is fearr agamsa air sna blianta deireanacha. Gach Aoine, ar a trí a’ chlog, chuaigh mé féin, nó duine de mo chomhghleacaithe, isteach sa stiúideo leis, leis ‘na cnaipí a dheanamh’, mar a deirfeadh sé féin, agus é i mbun a chláir, Beo go Deo, dírithe go hiomlán ar Elvis Presley, ard-rí Rock ‘n Roll.
Bhí roinnt grá i saol Ghearóid: a bhean, Bríd; a chuid mac, Ainle, Cairbre agus Naoise; a chlann ar fad; Elvis Presley agus, dar ndóigh, an Ghaeilge.
Thiocfadh leathanaigh a líonadh leis na scéalta faoin a chuid eachtraí thar na blianta, ach ba mhaith liom aird a thabhairt ar chomhrá an-ghairid a bhí againn roinnt sheachtainí ó shin. Bhí sé istigh sa stáisiún don seó. Agus mé ag ullmhú cupán caife dó, d’inis sé dom go raibh ailse air. Dúirt mé gurbh oth liom sin a chloisteáil agus dúirt sé, “Mise fosta.”
D’iarr mé air, an raibh sé cinnte gur mhaith leis an clár a dhéanamh an lá sin, agus chaith sé súil géar, láidir, dairíre orm. “Céad faoin gcéad,” a dúirt sé. Sin é. Rinne muid an clár le chéile, agus níor lig sé don scéal tubaisteach seo cur isteach nó amach air.
Cúpla seachtain ina dhiaidh, chuir Bríd glaoch orm leis an drochscéal a bhriseadh go raibh Gearóid ag brath an eagrán deireanach de Beo go Deo a láithriú ar an Aoine, 20ú Nollaig. Chinn muid go mbeadh clár ar leith againn, le lucht féachana agus aíonna speisialta, lena dhlúthchara, Eoghan Ó Néill, mar chomhchraoltóir.
Fuair muid scéal ó Bhríd cúpla lá ina dhiaidh sin le rá go raibh Gearóid go dona tinn san otharlann, agus nach mbeadh sé ag déanamh an seó. D’iarr mé ar Bhríd an mbeadh sé i gceart dá mba rud é go ndearna muid féin an chlár a láithriú ina áit, in áit seanchlár dá chuid a chur amach nó, níos measa arís, nach gcraolfar clár ar bith. Thug Bríd beannacht an teaghlaigh agus, ag a trí a’ chlog ar an 20ú, chraol Raidió Fáilte an chéad eagrán le 18 mbliana de Beo go Deo gan Ghearóid. Thit an onóir seo orm féin agus seanchara eile dó.
D’éist sé féin agus an chlann san otharlann, agus go gairid ina dhiaidh don chlár críochnú, d’imigh Gearóid ar shlí na fírinne.
Tá Elvis imithe ón láthair. Duine cróga, ceannródaíoch. Ach leanaimis a threoir – thar aon rud eile, coinnigh fíor é.
Gearóid Ó Cairealláin, 1957 – 2024
Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I was playing drums in a rock band with my friends. We weren’t all that good, but what set us apart from the hordes of other bands in Belfast at the time, was that we performed some of our songs in Irish, and that was the only excuse Gearóid Ó Cairealláin needed.
One night, as we attended a gig by Na Fíréin in Cumann Cluain Ard, Gearóid went up on stage during their break and announced there was a group of young Gaelgeoirs in the audience, who performed in Irish. He asked for a big applause from the audience, and that’s how we provided support for one of the biggest Irish language bands in the country at the time.
That’s how Gearóid operated. He didn’t see problems or barriers: he saw possibilities and opportunities. He saw ways of putting the language and culture out there in the public sphere, whether through newspapers, drama, education or music. He believed earnestly in the mantra – Don’t say it, do it. Lack of a cultural centre? Open a cultural centre. Scarcity of Irish language newspapers? Start an Irish language newspaper. Too much English on the airwaves? Launch an Irish language radio station. He didn’t bother checking if something could be done – he did it and then dealt with the problems afterwards. Even the stroke which struck him in 2006, he took advantage of it, writing the play, The Wheelchair Monologues.
It was in the field of radio broadcasting that I knew him best in the final years. Every Friday, at three o’clock, Myself or one of my colleagues, would go into the studio with him, to ‘do the buttons,’ as he would say, while he presented his show, ‘Beo go Deo’, dedicated entirely to Elvis Presley, the high king of Rock ‘n Roll.
Gearóid had many loves in his life: his wife, Bríd; his sons, Ainle, Cairbre and Naoise; his extended family, Elvis Presley and, of course, the Irish language.
I could fill pages with stories of his adventures over the years, but I want to highlight one, very short conversation we had a few short weeks ago. He was in the station to do his show. As I made him a coffee, he told me of his cancer diagnosis. I said I was so sorry to hear that, and he said, “Me too.”
I asked him if he was sure he wanted to do the show that day, and he threw me a sharp, strong, serious look. “One hundred percent,” he said. That was it. We did the show, and he didn’t let this sad news affect him one iota.
A couple of weeks later, Bríd phoned me, with the sad news that Gearóid would be presenting the last edition of Beo go Deo on Friday, 20th December. We decided that it would be a special show, with a live audience and special guests, co-presented by his closest friend, Eoghan Ó Néill.
We received word from Bríd a couple of days later to say that Gearóid was seriously ill in hospital, and that he wouldn’t be able to do the show. I asked Bríd if it would be okay if we presented the show in his place, rather than re-broadcast an older show or, worse still, not broadcast any show at all. Bríd gave the family’s blessing and, at three o’clock on the 20th, Raidió Fáilte broadcast the first edition of Beo go Deo in 18 years, without Gearóid. That honour fell to me and another old friend.
He and his family listened in the hospital to the show and, shortly after it finished, Gearóid passed away.
Elvis has left the building. A courageous, pioneering individual. But we will continue to follow his direction – above all else, keep it real.
Gearóid Ó Cairealláin – 1957 – 2024
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