Annála – Gréagóir Ó Dúill

Rugadh Gréagóir Ó Dúill i mBaile Átha Cliath in 1946. Taistealaí tráchtála as an ardchathair ba ea a athair agus státseirbhíseach ba ea a mháthair. Bhíodh dánta leo i gcló ar irisí i mBaile Átha Cliath ó na 1930idí go dtí na 1950idí. Chuaigh sé chun cónaithe ar an gCionn Bhán i gContae Aontroma in aois a cúig bliana agus ansin d’fhreastail sé ar Choláiste Mhaolmhaodhóg, Béal Feirste, áit a ndeachaigh Muiris Ó Droighneáin agus an tAth. Joe Conway i gcion air. Fuair sé céim BA sa Stair ina dhiaidh sin ó Ollscoil na Ríona, Béal Feirste in 1968. Sa bhliain sin a phós sé a bhean chéile, Cáit Ní Mhuirígh; múinteoir teangacha. Ó 1971 go dtí 1975, bhí sé ag staidéar go páirtaimseartha i gColáiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath agus bhain sé cáilíocht cartlannaíochta agus MA sa Stair amach sa tréimhse sin. Scríobh sé tráchtas dochtúireachta ar Sir Samuel Ferguson do Choláiste Phádraig, Maigh Nuad in 1989. Bhí tionchar nach beag ag Barbara Hayley, an tOllamh le Béarla, air agus é i Maigh Nuad. Ar na poist a bhí aige tá: múinteoir Béarla agus Staire; cartlannaí in Oifig na dTaifead Poiblí in Éirinn; oifigeach riaracháin le Bord na Gaeilge; oifigeach riaracháin sa Roinn Airgeadais; riarthóir le Bord na Gaeilge.

D’éirigh sé as an státseirbhís in 1991 agus tá sé ina scríbhneoir lánaimseartha ó shin. Mhúineadh sé scríobh na filíochta ar an gcúrsa MA i dTeach na hÉigse, an Fál Carrach, agus ceapadh ina stiúrthóir cúnta ar an gcoláiste sin é in 2001. Tá tréimhsí caite aige ina léachtóir le litríocht chomhaimseartha na Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Ríona, Béal Feirste, agus in Ollscoil Uladh freisin. Tá cónaí air anois idir Raghnallach agus an Ardaigh Bheag, Gort an Choirce i dTír Chonaill.

Tá Gréagóir ar na filí Gaeilge is bisiúla dá bhfuil ag scríobh as Gaeilge. Tá ocht gcnuasach Gaeilge agus dhá chnuasach Béarla dá bhundánta curtha ar fáil aige go dtí seo. An machnamh agus an t-amhras, b’fhéidir, an dá thréith atá le sonrú ar a shaothar filíochta trí chéile. Bhain Dán Nollag faoin samhradh (Coiscéim, 2010) duais Oireachtais mar chnuasach agus bronnadh Duais Cholmcille ar don dán, Boeing 737, ag Féile Filíochta Bhéal Átha na mBuillí, 2013.

 Gréagóir Ó Dúill was born in Dublin in 1946. His father was a traveling salesman, his mother a civil servant. Poems of theirs were published in magazines in Dublin from the 1930s to 1950s. He went to live in Antrim when he was five. He went to St Malachy’s College in Belfast where Muiris Ó Droighneáin and Father Joe Conway were an influence on him. He has a BA from Queens University Belfast. He married Cáit Ní Mhuirígh, a language teacher, the same year. Between 1971 and 1975 he studied part-time in UCD and got an archivist’s qualification and an MA in History during this time. He wrote his doctorate on Sir Samuel Ferguson for St Patrick’s College, Maynooth in 1989. Barbara Hayley, the Professor of English had a major influence on him during his time in Maynooth.

He retired from the civil service in 1991 and has worked as a full-time writer ever since. He taught poetry writing on the MA course in the Poets’ House, Falcarragh, and he was made assistant director of the college in 2001. He has worked as a lecturer of contemporary Irish-language poetry in Queen’s University, Belfast and in the University of Ulster. He lives in Ranelagh and in Ardaigh Bheag, Gortahork, Donegal.

Gréagóir is among the most productive Irish language writers. He has published eight collections of original poems. Saothrú an ghoirt (Coiscéim, 1994) describes his life in his small house in Donegal. When he took the decision to spend part of the year in the Gaeltacht he addressed the issue about the role of the Gaeltacht in the life of the Irish writer in both a personal and public way. His writing is contemplative and questioning.

Dán Nollag faoin samhradh (Coiscéim, 2010) won an Oireachtas prize as a collection and he was presented with Duais Cholmchille for the poem, ‘Boeing 737’, at the Strokestown Poetry Festival, 2013. Gréagóir writes a critical column about contemporary poetry for the journal, Comhar, every month.